The Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team…
Is working to restore the urban estuary in downtown Olympia by reconnecting the river to the Salish Sea. We are an advocacy group representing the interests of the local environment, natural systems with the services that they provide, and a community that values wildlife, water quality, economic opportunities and natural beauty. We serve as a center for a creative community-driven effort for the health of the Deschutes watershed by focusing on the most beneficial restoration project for the river: freeing its estuary.
DERT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Deschutes Watershed. DERT began organizing in 2009 and became a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2011. DERT’s first objective is to restore the Deschutes Estuary and remove the 5th Avenue dam in Olympia, Washington. We engage in public outreach to educate the people of Olympia, and the state of Washington, about the benefits of a healthy restored estuary. For the past decade we have worked directly with key state agency leaders and legislators to encourage an honest and complete accounting of the costs of alternative plans such as ongoing dredging of a reflecting lake in perpetuity.
The estuary is the largest and most beneficial project to clean up South Puget Sound, adding 260 acres of estuarine habitat that will support restored Salmon runs while protecting Olympia from the effects of water levels rising over the coming decades. Once the estuary is restored natural tides will help flush out silt and maintain a healthy environment. Invasive species will not thrive as easily in cooler water with higher saline content. Salmon populations in much of the Puget Sound will become stronger, as 260 acres of nurturing habitat for juvenile salmon will be restored. Recreation and educational opportunities will be restored, in contrast with the decades of toxic closure we’ve become used to.
Restoration supports our economy, community health, and environmental priorities, and the costs are no greater than those associated with an ongoing protocol of dredging necessary to restore and maintain a non-toxic reflecting pool. (In fact, grants may be available to help offset costs if environmental restoration can be shown.) Estuary restoration is not only necessary, it’s desirable.