Oregon's Siletz Bay digs new channels to restore 37 acres of tidal wetland

This summer, Oregon's Siletz Bay is undergoing a significant wetland restoration project aimed at restoring 37 acres of tidal wetland in the Drift Creek Unit of the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The effort, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, involves filling old drainage ditches and creating new tidal channels to restore natural tidal flows to the land that was altered by decades of diking and land conversion.

The lower Drift Creek floodplain was once a complex coastal landscape with tidal marshes, scrub-shrub areas, spruce swamps, and winding channels. However, over time, people altered the landscape through diking and land conversion, restricting tide movement and transforming large portions of the historic wetlands into pasture. The loss of natural connections affected the floodplain's ecological functions, including providing habitat for fish and wildlife and moving water and nutrients through coastal ecosystems.

Crews are working through the end of August to reshape the landscape. They will fill old linear drainage ditches, excavate new tidal channels, place wood structures for fish shelter, and regrade low areas to reconnect different parts of the floodplain. The restoration is expected to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and create safer areas for fish and other wildlife.

Native wetland species like sedges, rushes, salt-tolerant plants, and coastal spruce will be planted and seeded by fall. The project is part of a larger, multi-year restoration effort, with previous phases completed in 2023 restoring 41 acres of former tidal wetlands east of Drift Creek Road. Several organizations, including local and federal agencies and conservation groups, are involved in the broader effort.

The goal is to return the floodplain to a more natural tidal wetland state, supporting fish, wildlife, and plants while enhancing coastal ecosystem health.