CREST proposes to continue to implement estuary habitat restoration projects during this contract period. Projects developed, designed, and permitted during previous contract periods will move to construction. CREST will continue to develop and design new restoration projects working with landowners, stakeholders, and subcontracted design and engineering consultants. CREST will also continue to invest staff time in community outreach and project development including participating in regional meetings with BPA, the Corps, as well as partner coordination forums such as the Estuary Partnership's Science Work Group (SWG). CREST biologists will conduct Level 3 pre and post project evaluation (Action Effectiveness Monitoring; AEMR) at our restoration sites in coordination with partners and the Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program (CEERP).  

Restoration of estuary habitat focuses on habitat opportunity, capacity, and realized function critical to the recovery of Threatened/Endangered salmon utilizing the Columbia River Estuary. CREST Habitat Restoration Program Deliverables include:
1)  Identification, prioritization, and development of potential estuary habitat restoration projects.
2)  Scoping and selecting restoration projects based on technical evaluation during feasibility stage and scientific review by Estuary Partnership Project Review Committee and partners.
3)  Design, permit, and implement 3-5 on the ground estuarine restoration projects each year.
4)  Conduct Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research of restoration projects in coordination with regional partners.

The following projects are currently in full design, engineering, and permitting and will move to construction in 2019 and 2020:
• McCarthy Creek Phase II: This project expands on the culvert removal project completed in 2017, by removing an additional undersized culvert on the Enyarts property and completing wetland grading to restore floodplain connection and juvenile rearing habitat to 71 acres of wetlands along the Multnomah Channel of the Columbia River.  
•Government Island: This project will reestablish hydrologic connectivity and fish passage to 289 acres of floodplain habitat in Reach G of the Columbia River Estuary, where restoration and habitat opportunities are currently limited by land use development and infrastructure. Restoration actions include removing a water control structure, rip-rap and marine pilings, enhancing the floodplain habitat through channel bank grading, berm removal, blackberry scrape downs, and beaver dam analogs for grade control, and revegetation of all disturbed areas.
• South Bachelor Island Phase II: CREST will be partnering with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to assist in the contract management and construction oversight of the South Bachelor Island project. This project will establish connectivity between the Columbia River mainstem and 40 acres of off-channel wetland habitat on South Bachelor Island.
• West Sand Island: The West Sand Island project aims to enhance fish access and tidal connection to approximately 100 acres of shrub-scrub/ forested marsh habitat through the removal of sections of berm, and creation of tidal channels into the interior of the island. This project also proposes to treat 78 acres of invasive plants and revegetate the area with beneficial native plants.
Toaheedliini Tidal Restoration: The Toaheedliini Tidal Restoration project will improve access to salmonid rearing habitat and improve ecosystem function to approximately 55 acres by breaching a deauthorized levee system along the Walluski River.
• John Day #11:  The John Day #11 restoration replacing 2 undersized culverts on an unnamed tributary to the John Day River, with a free- span bridge to improve salmonid access to more than 20 acres of upstream wetland and spawning habitat.

The following projects are currently in feasibility and will begin design, engineering, and permitting phases and will move to construction in 2020 and 2021:
• Toaheedliini Tidal Restoration: Designs for the Toaheedliini project will be completed during 2019 and 2020. Restoration actions for this project will include removing sections of the deauthorized levee along the Walluski River in multiple locations to an elevation that matches the interior marshplain elevation. Additional excavation will also occur in the interior of the wetland to enhance the wetland channel network to further improve tidal connectivity and fish access. The site will be revegetated with native plants following construction.
• Palensky Wildlife Area: The Palensky project aims to enhance wetland and floodplain processes and improve fish passage to floodplain rearing habitat. The project site is located on the 417-acre Burlington Bottoms wetland complex that is owned by BPA and managed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Restoration actions will enhance fish ingress and egress to the wetland complex through the removal of a water control structure and excavation to expand the floodplain and increase wetland interconnections. This project also aims to retain the existing conditions for hydrologic management of moist soils and amphibian habitat through the installation of beaver dam analogues to help retain moist conditions within the site following tidal reconnection.  
• Aldrich Point Railroad: The Aldrich Point Railroad restoration seeks to improve access to off-channel habitat directly adjacent to the Columbia River by addressing an undersized railroad bridge that currently acts as a velocity barrier to the adjacent wetland habitat.
• Wolf Bay Railroad: Similar to Aldrich Point, the Wolf Bay Railroad restoration aims to improve off-channel habitat access by increasing the opening size of a currently undersized railroad bridge.

CREST will also continue to work through design and engineering process in support of the following projects for implementation in 2021.
• Pastorino
• South Tongue Point

Each of the projects described above provides immediate access to estuarine habitats for juvenile salmonids.  CREST will also invest project manager staff time working with specific landowners, project partners, and in data gathering and investigations at other sites including the Youngs Bay Watershed, John Day River, Gnat Creek, and other potential restoration sites for construction in 2021 and beyond.  

CREST will pursue cost share for project engineering and construction during this contract period from the National Park Service, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Salmon Recovery Funding Board, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership.  

Within this contract, major work elements are directly related to implementation of previously designed projects and on engineering and permitting for out year projects.  Additional actions focus on community outreach and project development.  

Projects in development will be subject to review by the Estuary Partnership's Project Review Committee (PRC) at 30% design and review and assignment of survival benefits by the Expert Regional Technical Group (ERTG) at 60% design.  All projects in the estuary are also subject to cost benefit analysis and approval by BPA.  Each of the projects CREST is proposing during this contract undergoes a cost/SBU preliminary review and final scoring by ERTG.  If at any time during the scientific review and ERTG process it is determined that proposed restoration projects do not meet BPA criteria CREST will work with BPA to address these issues.

Post project evaluation (Level 3 AEMR) will be conducted by CREST biologists at Sharnelle Fee, Karlson Island, Sauvie Island Phases 1, 2, and 3, Buckmire Slough Phase I, Crane, Domeyer, Willow Bar, Westport Slough, Flight's End, Dairy Creek/ Sturgeon Lake, and Bear, Mary's and Ferris Creeks.  Both pre and post project monitoring will be conducted at the McCarthy Creek, West Sand Island, Government Island, Toaheedliini, and John Day #11 sites.  Pre project monitoring at other project sites such as the Palensky Wildlife Area, Aldrich Point and Wolf Bay Railroad projects, Pastorino, and South Tongue Point will also occur during this contract period.  Project monitoring is used at restoration sites to better quantify use and habitat lift for individual restoration sites and to inform benefits of restoration actions at projects in development.