Publications:
Fact Cards
Tillamook
Bay
is located
on the
north
Oregon
coast,
about
80 miles
west
of Portland.
The
region
is known
for
many
things,
including
tourism,
fishing,
logging,
its
natural
beauty
and
abundant
rain.
Europeans
attracted
to the
fertile
floodplain
first
settled
the
Tillamook
Bay
area
in the
1800s.
Today
the
area
supports
a significant
farming
population
and
is home
to some
of the
nation's
finest
cheese
and
ice
cream.
Facts
About
the
Estuary
- About
25,000
people
live
in
the
597
square
mile
watershed.
- The
cooperatively
owned
creamery,
in
operation
nearly
100
years,
is
the
second
largest
marketer
of
natural
cheddar
cheese
in
the
nation
and
a
major
local
employer.
- Dairy
farming,
logging,
and
sport
and
commercial
fishing
are
the
foundations
of
the
local
economy,
although
the
fishing
industry
has
declined
in
recent
years.
- Tillamook
Bay
has
been
rated
as
Oregon's
premier
recreational
shellfishing
area.
- Up
to
59
species
of
fish
live
in
the
bay
at
various
times
of
the
year,
including
chum
salmon,
listed
as
sensitive
by
the
state,
and
federally
listed
threatened
coho
salmon.
Health
of the
Estuary
- Since
1867,
sedimentation
has
decreased
Tillamook
Bay
water
volume
by
20
percent.
- Seventy-two
percent
of
the
intertidal
marsh
has
been
lost
due
to
dredging,
diking,
filling,
ripraping
and
floodplain
development.
- Significant
sections
of
all
five
major
rivers
in
the
Tillamook
Bay
Watershed
are
water
quality
limited.
- Bacteria
from
dairy
farms,
failing
septic
systems
and
municipal
sewage
overflows
during
flood
events
play
a
large
part
in
water
quality
problems.
Commercial
shellfish
beds
are
often
closed
to
harvest
for
up
to
90
days
per
year
due
to
excessive
bacteria
levels.
- Summer
stream
temperatures
in
parts
of
all
five
major
rivers
exceed
the
maximum
standard
for
spawning
and
rearing
salmon.
Accomplishments
of the
Estuary
Program
- Planted
105,000
trees
along
riparian
areas-a
significant
portion
by
watershed
councils
and
school
groups.
- Installed
over
54,000
feet
of
fencing
along
rivers
that
border
dairy
pasturelands,
effectively
keeping
livestock
out
of
waterways.
- Improved
655
miles
of
forest
roads
to
decrease
sedimentation
problems.
- Secured
$1.1
million
in
federal
and
state
grants
for
wetlands
restoration.
- With
several
area
schools,
initiated
development
of
an
environmental
education
curriculum
and
outdoor
learning
labs.
- Replaced
outdated
tidegates
with
"fish-friendly"
ones
that
allow
water
flow
in
both
directions.
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