Willamette River

                O U R   W I L L A M E T T E   R I V E R

Current News on Willamette River

On the River Events

Waterfront Festivals, downtown Portland
Boating, Canoeing, Kayaking, Sailing
Fishing, Skiing and Lunch/Dinner Cruising
Water Quality, Environmental Group Outings
Riparian Restoration / Ivy Removal

Information and Contacts for Group Activities:

Portland Renaisance Group   River Renaissance is a citywide initiative
to reclaim the Willamette River as Portland’s centerpiece. The initiative
promotes and celebrates the Willamette River as our chief environmental,
economic and urban assets.

Willamette River Keepers
Our Mission: To make the Willamette River Watershed healthy for fish
and wildlife, and safe for fishing and swimming, forever and for all.
Calendar of Events

Search Engine Links to Willamette River Events and activities


LEARN ABOUT THE WILLAMETTE RIVER

Willamette River Basics

The Willamette River (pronounced wil-LAM-met) is a tributary of the Columbia River,
approximately 240 mi (386 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward
between the Coastal Range and Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form a basin called the
Willamette Valley containing the largest population centers of Oregon, including Portland, which sits along
both sides of the river near its mouth on the Columbia. Its lush valley is fed by prolific rainfall on the western side of the Cascades, forming one of the most fertile agricultural regions of North America that was the destination for many if not most of the emigrants along the Oregon Trail. Read on.....

EPA's American Heritage River:   The Willamette River


Willamette River American Heritage Initiative

In July 1998, the Willamette River was designated an American Heritage River.
There are only 14 American Heritage Rivers in the United States.

The American Heritage River initiative helps Willamette River communities:

• Revitalize their economy,
• Protect their environment and natural resources, and
• Preserve their history and culture.
Each American Heritage River has a River Navigator who is a liaison between basin communities and
the federal government. The Navigator actively seeks resources that can be leveraged quickly to support
community needs. The River Navigator does not create new regulations, lobby, interfere with state or local
jurisdictional matters or take private property.

The Willamette River Water Coalition

Willamette Spring Chinook Catch and Falls Counts



WILLAMETTE RIVER RECREATION GUIDE

This guide is designed to make it easy to visit and
experience the river whether by boat, bicycle, motor
vehicle or on foot. The guide divides the river into
five sections, beginning on page 12. For each section,
important features are described and mapped.
These include state and local parks, state greenway
and Division of State Lands parcels, boat ramps,
marinas, wildlife areas and other points of interest.

The maps show public roads that lead to greenway
parcels, parks or other public access points.
Each section also highlights possible outings.


                                                                                                                      Willamette River at Champoeg Park
Aquatic richness indicates watershed health

According to OSU Natural Resources information, by 2050 an additional 1.7 million people are expected to live in the Willamette River Basin, bringing the total population to around four million. That's equivalent to adding three more cities the size of Portland or 13 the size of Eugene. Our challenge is to accommodate that many more people without losing qualities of the basin that we value. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest Ecosystem Research Consortium assessed likely conditions of the Willamette Basin in 2050 under three plausible future scenarios.

Several different indicators can describe the ecological health of a stream.

Willamette Basin Restoration Priorities -- Watershed Summaries

Willamette Basin Restoration Priorities -- Limiting Factors

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