MAJOR LAND PURCHASE IN COLUMBIA ESTUARY BY THE COLUMBIA LAND TRUST

The Columbia Land Trust, Bonneville Power Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced the largest purchase of riverside habitat in the Columbia River estuary in nearly 40 years. On Monday, The Columbia Land Trust completed the purchase of the 920-acre Columbia Stock Ranch on the south shore of the Columbia River near Goble, Ore., with $5.3 million in Bonneville Power Administration funding. The purchase sets the stage for the Corps of Engineers to restore hundreds of acres of historic wetlands in the next few years to provide food and shelter for salmon migrating to and from the ocean.

Management and restoration plans for the property will be developed with public input. The restored habitat will benefit coho, chinook and chum salmon; steelhead; and cutthroat trout, as well as terrestrial wildlife such as black bear, elk and river otter