Salmon River estuary on the central Oregon coast offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the response of fish and invertebrate prey to wetland recovery.  Since 1978, the USFS has completed three major dike removal projects in the Salmon River estuary, returning almost 70% of the historic wetlands to tidal influence. Because each project was initiated every nine years, the Forest Service restoration program has created a series of marsh recovery “experiments” at various stages of succession providing a one-of-a-kind natural laboratory for evaluating estuarine fish and prey community responses to restored wetland habitats.  The Salmon River Estuary project aims to provide information pertaining to salmon habitat recovery, juvenile salmon life history in undisturbed and restored habitats, and to develop appropriate designs for future restoration projects.
Project research activities:  

	Fish surveys (initiated in 1997)
	Vegetation studies
	GIS mapping
	Prey resources
	Salmonid food habits
	Physical habitat features