Scientific Workshop to Inform the Columbia River Nearshore Beneficial Use Project

In recent years, depletion of sands in the nearshore environment along the northern Oregon and southwest Washington coasts has been documented. This erosion raises concerns about protection of economic and ecological resources in the area. The Columbia River Nearshore Beneficial Use Project was initiated to engage public and private sector participants in a collaborative process to explore the use of lower Columbia River maintenance dredge material to address the depletion of natural sand volumes in the nearshore environment off the South Jetty of the Columbia River. The objective of the proposed supplementation of dredged sediments is for these sediments to rebuild the offshore sands in the project area and, over the long term, better protect the South Jetty from wave impacts.\ud \ud This project is one of the activities of the Lower Columbia Solutions Group (LCSG). Convened by Governor Kulongoski of Oregon and former Governor Locke of Washington, the LCSG is a diverse group of local, state and federal stakeholders interested in and affected by dredge material disposal activities in the Lower Columbia River area. Stakeholders include crabbers, fishing interests, environmentalists, development interests, and local, state and federal government. The Nearshore Project group and the LCSG have requested that scientists with relevant expertise provide input about the current state of scientific understanding and research needs for topics pertinent to the Nearshore Beneficial Use Project.\ud \ud In response, the Institute for Natural Resources at OSU is co-hosting a Scientific Workshop to Inform the Columbia River Nearshore Beneficial Use Project. This two-day workshop is by-invitation-only. Day 1 of the workshop, which is being organized by INR, will focus on a discussion of scientific information about such topics as sediment migration, wave and current patterns, and biological communities in the project area. Day 2 of the workshop, hosted by the LCSG, will share the products from the previous day's scientific discussion--such as areas of scientific agreement, research and monitoring needed to address scientific unknowns, and key indicators for assessing impacts of a nearshore beneficial use project--with policymakers, resources practitioners, and interested stakeholders.\ud \ud Products and outcomes of the workshop will be used to help increase understanding about the state of knowledge and uncertainty regarding the nearshore environment and recommend effective policies and activities that will address concerns about resource protection in the area of interest