Tillamook River Wetlands

With goals of benefiting community infrastructure and emergency access while restoring salmon habitat, this project seeks to restore a 73-acre estuarine wetland located in the floodplain of the Tillamook River.

North Coast Land Conservancy purchased the property in 2021 and is partnering with TEP to manage the restoration. The property exists in the historic floodplain of the Tillamook River and Burton-Fraser Road separates the wetland from the bay, acting as an elevated dike which prevents fish passage. Preliminary engineering investigations revealed the poor condition of Burton-Fraser Road and its impending failure. Tillamook County owns Burton-Fraser Road and would prefer to close the road rather than make the extremely expensive improvements necessary to enforce the road to survive future flood and storm events. The road is intended to be an evacuation route in the case of a natural disaster, but it doesn’t look like it would withstand a tsunami or earthquake. TEP is supporting the County in fundraising for more engineering designs to establish an alternate county right-of-way to Burton-Fraser Road. Any fish passage improvements needed for the restoration of the TRW site will be dependent upon the County’s decision regarding Burton-Fraser Road.

Please send any questions or comments to info@tbnep.org