Submitted by Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
The Columbia River Estuary Conference (CREC) will take place Tuesday through Thursday, April 10-12, 2018, at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria, Oregon. The theme of this year’s conference is Promoting Resiliency Under Shifting Environmental Conditions. The conference will explore ways local resource managers and land use planners can adapt to changes in weather patterns to protect native species and watershed health.
Every two years, CREC brings together regional scientists, researchers, natural resource managers, and others to present and learn the latest findings on the lower river, its plume, and nearshore ocean. The conference consists of two-and-a-half days of oral presentations, along with a poster session during a Tuesday evening social.
Speakers will cover topics including: changing ocean conditions and its effect on salmon and ecosystems; sea level rise and flood risk; integrating shifting weather patterns into habitat restoration; measuring results of habitat restoration; toxic contaminants; and more. Keynote speaker Mary Hunsicker, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, will present Tuesday morning on detecting whether ocean conditions have reached an important tipping point. Thursday’s keynote address will be given by John Shurts, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, on the latest in fish, wildlife, and energy policy and law.
This is the 10th biennial CREC, first held in 1999. The conference is sponsored by Bonneville Power Administration, Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Lewis & Clark National Park Association, Northwest Power & Conservation Council, Wapato Valley Mitigation & Conservation Bank, Wolf Water Resources, Pacific Northwest Chapter of Society of Wetland Scientists, Waterways Consulting, and Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.
The sponsors of the conference are dedicated to providing our communities with the most up to date science and information on the lower Columbia River ecosystem. We encourage locals to join us in learning about our river and its resources with a special discount. The cost is $175 for the full conference, or $100 for a single day. Locals discounted admission price is $20.00/day with Clatsop or Pacific County identification. To receive this discounted rate, contact Erinne Goodell at EGoodell@estuarypartnership.org. Attendance at the catered evening poster session requires regular admission costs.
To register, view the conference agenda, and find travel information, visit the Columbia River Estuary Conference website.
About the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
The Estuary Partnership was established in 1995 by the Governors of Washington and Oregon and the US EPA to provide regional coordination, to advance science, and to get on-the-ground results in the lower Columbia River and estuary. It is a collaborative program of the states of Oregon and Washington, federal agencies, tribal governments, non-profit organizations, businesses and economic interests, and citizens. The Estuary Partnership restores and protects habitat, improves water quality and reduces pollution, and provides information about the river. The lower Columbia River and estuary is an “Estuary of National Significance,” one of only 28 National Estuary Programs in the nation. The US EPA administers the National Estuary Program, created in the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act. The Estuary Partnership is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. For more information, visit www.estuarypartnership.org.
