AREA CLOSURES FOR JOHNSON CREEK AND MILWAUKIE BAY DUE TO RESTORATION 8/18/2025 – 10/10/2025

KEEP READING TO FIND OUT WHY…

This summer, we are happy to announce a restoration project at the confluence of Johnson Creek and the Willamette River! While the instillation is ultimately designed by humans, the goal is to return the confluence to something resembling it’s natural state before the removal of logs from the Willamette River. This project will help provide a sort of “rest stop” for salmon migrating towards Johnson Creek. The artificial log jam is designed to help keep colder water coming out of Johnson Creek in Milwaukie Bay. This would allow salmon to recover from heat-stress in calm waters before moving upstream to spawn.

Large wood (root wads and logs over a certain size) have also been re-introduced to the area back in 2011, thought to a much smaller degree than this current project. These structures, in addition to helping redirect and slow down river water, also make great habitat for all kinds of native fishes. This especially applies to young salmonids hoping to avoid the attention of an osprey or heron on their way out to the sea.

As climate change continues to result in warmer and warmer water, salmon also suffer increased heat-stress. Salmonids are cold-water fish who spend most of their adult life in the cold waters of the North Pacific Ocean. Salmon struggle to function in warm water and might even die from heat stress before being able to spawn. Urbanization, like climate change, reduces salmon spawning. Removal of green spaces and instillation of heat absorbing surfaces like asphalt, are all part of urbanization. JCWC and our partners are all committed to working to reduce these negative impacts. Reach out at 971-917-4520 for questions and concerns

Want to get involved? We have a lot of volunteer opportunities! Check out the possibilities here: https://www.jcwc.org/home/get-involved/