Cowan and Sinko Wetland Restoration and Monitoring

Pacific Northwest Fisheries Evaluation

Ducks Unlimited will monitor fish use in the Cowan and Sinko projects on the Oregon Coast. The two projects are located in the Coos and Coquille River valleys near Coos Bay, Oregon. Ducks Unlimited completed two wetland restoration projects on these sites in 2003 and 2004. Those projects restored and enhanced approximately 200 acres of floodplain wetlands. These wetland projects will provide excellent habitat for wintering waterfowl. However, the potential impacts of these projects on fish, particularly salmon, is unknown. Ducks Unlimited has received funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to monitor fish use in these wetlands in order to determine the potential impact to salmon. If it can be shown that the restoration of floodplain wetland habitats provides benefits to both salmon and waterfowl, it will make permitting issues on future projects much easier, and potentially open the door to future funding opportunities for similar projects.