Oregon Restoration Delivers Early Returns on Investment

Along Oregon’s Wasson Creek, a 530-acre ridgetop-to-estuary restoration project is proving that large-scale efforts can deliver early, outsized returns. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the South Slough Reserve and its partners completed the work in under two years, navigating steep terrain, invasive grasses, saturated soils, and many other challenges along the way. The project has united local communities around a long-cherished landscape and jumpstarted natural processes that might otherwise have taken hundreds of years to recover.

“This project shows that if you collaborate to restore a big enough area, things can rebound quickly,” said Dr. Alice Yeates, the Reserve’s stewardship coordinator and project lead. “We’re already seeing an increase in native waterbirds, plant species and wetlands-stream habitat returning to the site, which are so important for our fisheries and community.”

The Wasson Creek project is part of the Coos Basin Coho Partnership, a collaborative network that is focused on strategic restoration in the watershed. By improving habitat for the state’s $10+ million coho salmon fishery and other species, this project supports the Oregon economy, which is deeply tied to recreational and commercial fishing, hunting, and tourism.

“The Wasson Creek project is uniquely poised to benefit Coho salmon in the Coos basin. The wetland-stream complex, root wads, nurse cribs for tidal forested swamp reestablishment, and 20,000+ native plants create a safe haven for juvenile salmon to rest, feed, grow, and gather strength for their migration to the ocean,” says Alexa Carleton of the Coos Basin Coho Partnership. 

“High quality rearing habitat in Wasson Creek means stronger, healthier fish populations, and more recreational and commercial fishing opportunities overall. The South Slough Reserve is a great example of a partner going above and beyond to boost salmon populations, watershed health, and the local economy in one fell swoop.”

Carleton also notes that as a regionally unique “stage zero” restoration effort, the team first filled in the channel so it was flush with the existing floodplain, creating the opportunity for the river to determine its own paths and supporting the return of the area’s natural hydrology.

The $3.5 million project has also driven workforce development, generating an estimated 84 jobs and nearly $90,000 in volunteer hours. The upland restoration work brought foresters on board for thinning, forest management planning, and hands-on training in biochar production, building local skills while improving forest health and wildfire resilience.

This project has informed restoration projects outside the watershed, including beaver dam analogs at the Kachemak Bay Reserve in Alaska.

More than 580 people have contributed to the project so far, including Tribal partners, staff from state and federal agencies and universities, and members of local community organizations. Volunteers have contributed nearly 3,000 hours, valued at nearly $90 thousand. This broad participation has fostered intergenerational knowledge exchange programs that support future management of Wasson Creek, including, for example, the Reserve’s Estuary Explorers programs, school clubs such as Marshfield High’s Zonta Club, and local families coming to volunteer days like the Saturday Stewards.

Through the South Slough Reserve’s stewardship program, lessons learned are already helping inform restoration practices elsewhere, multiplying the impact of this federal investment to support other parts of the state.

“The workshops at South Slough Reserve are unlike anything else on the coast,” says Carrie Wyler, habitat restoration specialist for the Midcoast Watersheds Council. “The instructors are outstanding and the hands-on format means you’re not just learning new concepts, you’re testing them in real conditions alongside fellow restoration professionals. I walk away from every workshop with practical skills, fresh perspectives, and lasting connections that continue to shape my work.”

A recent executive order from Oregon’s governor has emphasized the importance of ecosystem restoration and community resilience. The Wasson Creek project is a clear example of this, demonstrating how integrated, partnership-driven restoration can deliver on local state priorities.