The Young's Bay Watershed is located near the mouth of the Columbia River in the northwest corner of Clatsop County and the State of Oregon. The Lewis and Clark River, Young's River and the Walluski River are the dominant stream systems of the Basin. The Young's River, from its headwaters to the entrance of the Bay, is approximately 17 miles long. The Lewis and Clark River, flowing through state forestry, private forestry, residential communities and farmland empties into Young's Bay and then the Columbia River after 21 miles.

Elevations within the watershed range from sea level at Young's Bay to 3,284 feet (Saddle Mountain) in the southern part of the watershed. The watershed land base is about 160 square miles (~120,000 acres) and represents 24 % of Clatsop County. Over 250 miles of streams and rivers make up the waterways of the Young's Bay Watershed.

The lower reaches of the Lewis and Clark River and Young's River are components of the Columbia River Estuary. The Columbia River Estuary is a nationally-significant estuary, rich in natural resources, supporting some of the largest anadromous fish runs in the world and providing unique habitat for sensitive and endangered species. Past research shows that the Young's Bay Estuary is one of the Lower Columbia's most biodiverse areas. The Young's Bay Watershed also provides several communities with municipal water.

The dominate land use within the Young's Bay Watershed is commercial forestry, since the largest land owner is Weyerhaeuser Company. However, Fort Clatsop National Memorial, a nationally-significant historical site that receives a quarter million visitors per year, is also located in the Watershed. Since Fort Clatsop is the only National Park Service site devoted solely to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, some of the earliest written natural history information about Oregon and the coast is found in it's library.
Fort Clatsop will be the primary focal-point during the upcoming Bicentennial of the Expedition in the years 2003-2006. As a consequence, the Young's Bay Watershed will be in the national spotlight during the next few years, as well as receiving 2-4 times the normal visitation: from one-half to one million visitors per year (15-30 times the population of the entire County).

Today

Today, local residents and Watershed Council members are focused on the declines in salmon and trout, water quality, water quantity and environmental monitoring.

Limited population information is known about salmon and trout in the Young's Bay Watershed. Historically, fall chinook, coho, steelhead, sea run cuthroat and chum found their way into the rivers to spawn. Today, most populations are in decline, with chum no longer in the Basin. Besides salmon and trout, the Watershed is home to a variety of estuarine and freshwater species, examples include pacific lamprey, stonerollers, peamouth, sculpin, and stickleback.

A recent fish counter was positioned by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on the Lewis and Clark River to identify adult fish passing through the fish ladder at the City of Warrenton's primary reservoir.

A water quality monitoring program was established this summer to gather baseline information throughout the year about the parameters: Dissolved Oxygen, pH, flow, turbidity, conductivity / salinity and temperature. Six temperature sites are located around the basin, primarily on the Lewis and Clark River. All water quality parameters are monitored at three of these sites. This data will be incorporated into the Young's Bay Watershed Assessment and will be used to inform and educate local residents on the connections between land use and water quality.

The City of Warrenton, located in the adjacent watershed, is one of the fastest growing communities in Oregon and has municipal water rights to the Young's Bay Basin (specifically the Lewis and Clark River). Concerns surrounding this water right and the current and future draws from the River are of great concern to the council.

Watershed Assessment

The Watershed Council completed the Youngs Bay Watershed Assessment in 2001 hiring E&S Environmental Chemistry. The assessment gives an overview of the basin, provides good historic context and highlights areas for potential restoration.

Read the assessment here.

Recent Projects:

- International Watershed Group Exchange
- Tidegate Replacement
- Wood Cribs
- Fee Restoration Project
- SF Klaskanine Hatchery
- Lewis & Clark Dike Breach