Over 70 percent of the wetlands in the lower Columbia River have been lost since 1890 due to agriculture and other development. About two-thirds of the shallow marshes and channels along the river became farm and pastureland.

The opportunity to restore wetlands on a large scale is possible here, since a significant portion of the area is public land. With restoration of tidal wetlands a priority within the Lower Columbia, many projects are underway. Groups such as the Oregon Biodiversity Project and the Estuary Partnership are working to restore over 10,000 acres of habitat. Volunteers work to pull invasive plants and replaced them with natives at many of these restoration sites.