Local restoration groups, county and state officials tout nature‑based work to curb sediment, improve fish habitat

Representatives of three regional restoration organizations told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that nature‑based projects in the upper Toutle watershed are helping retain volcanic sediment, provide salmon habitat and generate local economic activity — and that regular interagency meetings are critical to getting work permitted and built.

The groups described projects that place native wood and channel structures in the South Fork and other upper tributaries to slow channel migration, trap sediment and create pools for juvenile salmon. “Our projects for cubic yard of sediment cost about $2.50. Dredging costs about $12,” Morgan, director of Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group, said, citing the group’s cost comparison while describing multi‑year phases of work in the upper South Fork Toutle.

Why it matters: the upper watershed contains large volumes of lahar and legacy sediment from the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Speakers said working at the source can reduce downstream dredging needs and improve…