Explore the dynamic and essential ecosystems of Oregon’s estuaries with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership
Along the northern Oregon Coast, Tillamook County is home to five distinct estuaries—each shaped by the movement of water, wildlife, and time. These coastal areas support everything from salmon runs and oyster farms to recreation and clean water.
Claudine Rehn, Deputy Director of the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP), has spent over two decades working to connect people with these waterways and protect them through community-driven restoration. Through public programs, habitat work, and a focus on accessibility, TEP is helping ensure these estuaries continue to support healthy ecosystems and coastal communities for years to come. You can take part in the effort too—TEP offers events and programs throughout the year that bring people into the estuaries to learn, explore, and help protect these essential places.
What brought you to the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP)?
My husband’s work for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife brought us to Tillamook County in 2000. Through his job, I made connections with the conservation community and was able to find my perfect place at the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP). TEP is one of 28 National Estuary Programs (NEP) nationwide and is rooted in community-driven restoration priorities. The NEP model lets local voices lead decisions impacting Tillamook County watersheds and that was very appealing to me.
What are estuaries?
An estuary is simply a place where a river meets the ocean. It’s like a gateway between two worlds, where the river opens its arms to the ocean, and they share their waters, creating a place of balance and change.
Estuaries are important because they are home to unique species of fish, birds, and shellfish. They help protect the coast from storms by acting as a buffer, cushioning the land from the rough waves and storms of the open sea, like a protective shield for both the environment and people.
It’s a nursery for fish and other creatures, where young life finds shelter and grows strong before venturing into the wider ocean. They are home to plants like eelgrass, willow and red alder, which help keep the water clean by filtering out pollution. Estuaries are also economic drivers supporting thriving fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, recreation, shipping, and trade.
What makes the Tillamook estuaries unique compared to other coastal ecosystems?
Tillamook County is fortunate to have five estuaries. While sharing many similar traits, each has its own distinctive character.
Tillamook Bay: Nestled between rugged mountains and the Pacific, Tillamook Bay is Oregon’s third largest estuary. The bay supports a thriving oyster industry and some of the best runs of salmon and steelhead on the West Coast. In addition, broad fertile floodplains play host to the rich dairy lands which produce world class cheese.
Nehalem Bay: Stretching for 118 miles, the Nehalem River is the largest stream in Oregon’s coast range. Along its journey, the Nehalem River flows through dense forests, then quietly meanders by green pastures and small towns before entering Nehalem Bay. The area has a quiet appeal, and tourism is an increasing focus of the local economy, as evidenced by the expansive Nehalem Bay State Park.
Nestucca Bay: This bay is a 1000-acre bar-built estuary. Seasonally, a variably sized sand bar (spit) forms from the interaction of currents from the ocean and freshwater rivers. This sand bar separates the bay and the ocean. Part of the bay is contained within the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This estuary is a valuable natural resource supporting an economy dependent on fishing, forestry, and agriculture. The fishing culture of the Nestucca is highlighted by the age-old beach-launched dory fishery at Cape Kiwanda.
Netarts Bay: Netarts Bay boasts a predominately pristine estuarine environment compared to its sister bays in Tillamook County. This is due to the relatively light influence of development along its shores and throughout its watershed. Rather than being fed by larger rivers, Netarts Bay is fed by 16 smaller direct to bay creeks. Netarts is home to robust commercial oyster operations and an emerging premium sea salt industry. Because of Netart’s relatively unaltered natural state, it is often used as a reference site to compare the quality of other estuaries.
Sand Lake Estuary: This bay is only one of five estuaries on the Oregon Coast designated as a “natural estuary.” Similar to Netarts, there is relatively minimal freshwater influence from its watershed, and it is dominated by tidal influence. Much of the land encompassed by Sand Lake is an estuarine marsh which is exposed by tides daily. Because of this, the estuary is home to many unique tidal wetland plant species.
How do estuaries help protect the environment and combat recurring extreme weather events (climate change)?
Estuaries serve as a critical buffer between marine and freshwater systems for coastal communities and the species that live there. Estuarine wetlands (like salt marshes) act like giant sponges. They absorb excess rainwater and reduce the force of storm surges—protecting inland areas from flooding and erosion. Pollutants like heavy metals, excess nutrients, and sediments are trapped in wetlands before they reach the ocean. Wetland plants and bacteria help break down or absorb these harmful substances.
Estuaries, especially salt marshes and seagrass beds, are carbon sinks. They store large amounts of “blue carbon” in their soils and plants—much more efficiently than forests. By preserving and restoring estuarine wetlands, we can lock away carbon for centuries and prevent the release of CO₂ and methane. Healthy estuaries make coastal communities more resilient to recurring extreme events like sea level rise, stronger storms, and changing weather patterns.
How have you seen recurring extreme weather events impact the estuaries in Tillamook County, and what steps is TEP taking to address these changes?
Warmer water and increased winter flooding are two recurring extreme weather impacts that are problematic for our area. Our streamside planting projects help shade the rivers with native plants for future temperature control and our tidal wetland restoration project like Southern Flow Corridor give floodwaters a place to go that also supports native salmon species. Salmon won’t spawn in waters that are too warm.
Our focus for habitat restoration is to protect our communities and create healthy estuaries. All our projects begin with community and partner input and an intense grant-writing and fundraising process. During this initial stage, we often work with contractors or use the expertise of our partners to determine how a location can be enhanced. Habitat enhancement can take many forms, including fish passage barrier removals (such as culvert upgrades or replacements), creating habitat with large woody debris placement, native plant plantings and more. After a project is complete, we monitor the area to understand its impact and inform our community.
Why are native plants so important to the health of estuaries?
Native plants are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem. They reduce erosion, filter pollutants, buffer temperatures, and feed and house all terrestrial creatures (including us!).
Native plants help maintain the ecological balance of estuaries by providing a foundation for other species. They help prevent the spread of invasive species that could disrupt the ecosystem, and they contribute to the overall health and resilience of these important coastal areas. Since they evolved in this environment, they are more likely to thrive and require little to no maintenance.
What are some of the native plants people can find in the estuaries?
Sitka spruce are THE keystone species of our estuaries. Old, healthy spruce trees allow other plants, like elderberries, salmonberries, and huckleberries, to grow in their understory and provide habitat for ocean birds like the marbled murrelet. Over 95 percent of our tidal spruce forests have been lost.
Many Sitka spruce and other plants grow in rich habitats called riparian areas. A riparian area is vegetated land next to a creek or river. Riparian areas are critical to the health of streams, which provide clean drinking water and habitat for fish and wildlife. A substantial amount of the lowland riparian areas within coastal watersheds are privately owned properties, and many have severely impaired riparian conditions.
To help bolster riparian areas, TEP established the Backyard Planting Program (BYPP). BYPP is a free voluntary assistance program for private landowners in Tillamook County. The aim of the program is to enhance stream health by removing invasive vegetation and planting native trees and shrubs along salmon-bearing waterways. All you have to do is contact TEP to get started—our BYPP coordinator will work with landowners to develop a site-specific restoration plan for their property that includes site prep, planting, and maintenance.
How does TEP help visitors and community members experience and learn about the estuaries?
TEP has two flagship programs that we utilize to encourage visitors and residents to explore our estuaries thoughtfully with a stewardship mindset.
The Tillamook County Water Trail: This series of four full color, water-resistant guidebooks inspire kayak and canoe adventurers to journey along our local waterways. They detail appropriate access points, highlight safety, impart leave-no-trace information, outline suggested day trips, and convey local lore in one concise, eye-catching document. At the heart of the guidebooks are detailed maps that act as aids for visitors and residents alike as they plan their non-motorized treks along Tillamook County’s scenic shores. The guidebooks can be found online at https://www.tbnep.org/water-trail-guides/.
Explore Nature Tillamook Coast: Explore Nature represents a collaboration of non-profit organizations working together to provide meaningful, nature-based events to showcase the uniqueness of Tillamook County and the work being done to conserve the area’s watersheds, restore biodiversity, and preserve natural resource-based industries. Explore Nature encourages discovery through informative hikes, walks, and paddles. Some example topics include mushroom foraging, migratory birds of the Pacific Flyway, forest ecosystems, and whale watching. To see the most recent opportunities, visit https://www.explorenaturetillamookcoast.com/.
How is TEP working to make estuary education and programming more accessible to a wider audience?
We strive to make our education programming accessible to all that are interested in participating. Universal access to outdoor areas is sometimes difficult due to natural barriers and terrain. Our mantra is “Know Before You Go.” TEP provides text descriptions and site-specific pictures to participants so they can make informed decisions as to accessibility and their own personal comfort level for exploration—including but not limited to (if known):
- Trail substrate, e.g. gravel, woodchips or asphalt
- Trail width, length, and grade
- Restroom access
- Access from parking lot to trailhead
- Any limitations for sound or sight
- Noise level and sensory considerations of the activity
- Spanish language materials or fluent event leaders where possible
What are people most surprised to learn about Tillamook’s estuaries?
I think a lot of people are surprised that Tillamook Bay is an “Estuary of National Significance.” An “Estuary of National Significance” is a federally determined designation used to identify estuaries that are recognized for their exceptional ecological, economic, and recreational value to the nation.
These estuaries are of critical importance due to their role in supporting biodiversity, providing habitat for wildlife, and contributing to the economy through activities like fishing, tourism, and coastal development. There are only 28 estuaries nationwide that have that designation. Tillamook Bay is one of the smallest by area and shares this distinction with estuaries like San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, and Tampa Bay.
What is your favorite thing to do in the estuaries?
It is so hard to choose just one. All my favorite moments have seemed to be connected to water. Whether its paddling in the early misty morning light on the Nehalem River, hiking along the Wilson River in the fall searching for spawning salmon, watching pelicans soar, dive, and play, at Kilchis Point Reserve, or combing the rocky intertidal pools in Oceanside chasing the elusive frosted or alabaster sea slug—Tillamook County feeds my soul and being on the water reminds me what truly makes this area special.
What excites you about the opportunities you see for estuary programming and/or conservation in the coming years?
I am excited about increased awareness about the fragility of our ecosystems and the impact we as humans have on our environment. Visitors are interested in minimizing their impact on the natural surroundings, respecting local cultures, and supporting sustainable practices. Residents are increasingly seeking out alternative transportation options to reduce their carbon footprint, making sustainable choices with their spending, investing in native plants for landscaping, and advocating for investment in clean water, clean air, and clean energy. These efforts focus on preserving our working waters, recreational opportunities, and natural environment. Stewardship is becoming the norm and not the exception.