Wild Salmon Center’s work in Oregon strongholds centers on fixing the mistakes of the past while also preventing the same mistakes in the future.

The Nehalem River, Oregon’s North Coast gem, is a vital salmon ecosystem where our policy and practice — of protection and restoration — come together. The Nehalem is a place where we have the opportunity to protect and recover some of the best wild salmon and steelhead runs left in the Lower 48.

From cold mountain streams to coastal estuary, the Nehalem watershed includes important tributaries for salmon like the Salmonberry River. Surrounding forests, including the Tillamook and Clatsop state forests, provide key habitat for wildlife — including endangered marbled murrelets. The North Coast’s longest river after the mighty Columbia, the Nehalem is also a cherished destination for Oregonians who hike, fish, camp, and float its clear waters.

Let Freshwaters Illustrated, a talented team of filmmakers, take you riverside to see this work first hand and hear from our critical local partners on the ground about a place they call home, in the new short film “Nehalem: A Wild Salmon Stronghold.”  

In 2019 a critical 17.5 mile section of the Nehalem River was designated as a State Scenic Waterway. The designation will protect flows for fish and guide wise use along the river for future generations.