Rivers, Creeks & Streams
Keeping our waterways healthy
Healthy streams and rivers support fish, provide clean water, and reduce flooding. However, erosion, pollution, and habitat loss can degrade these essential waterways.
Conservation districts work with land managers to stabilize streambanks, plant native vegetation, and implement conservation practices that improve water quality and aquatic habitat. Whether you’re managing land along a creek or working to prevent runoff, support is available.
How to Keep Your Waterways Healthy:
- Stabilize streambanks with native plants and natural barriers to prevent erosion.
- Reduce runoff by implementing vegetated buffers or rain gardens to filter water before it enters the stream.
- Restore habitat for fish and wildlife by adding pools, riffles, and other natural features to streams.
- Manage livestock access to streams to reduce pollution and soil erosion.
Explore Conservation Resources
This resource provides information on the ecological importance of beavers and their role in creating and maintaining wetlands. It offers guidance on resolving human-beaver conflicts and promotes understanding of beaver behavior and habitat.
The Burke Herbarium Image Collection provides an extensive online database of plant, fungi, and lichen specimens, including high-resolution images and detailed records. It supports botanical research, identification, and education, particularly for species in the Pacific Northwest.
This publication provides science-based strategies for land managers to design and implement buffers that enhance ecological functions, improve water quality, protect wildlife, and offer economic benefits. It includes over 80 guidelines synthesized from more than 1,400 research articles, offering practical, easy-to-understand advice for creating buffers in both rural and urban landscapes.
An educational platform by Project WET that explores various aspects of water, including the water cycle, watersheds, and conservation, through interactive modules.
An interactive game by PBS Kids that teaches children about engineering and flood prevention through problem-solving challenges.
An educational program designed to teach children about marine ecosystems and the importance of ocean conservation.
How's My Waterway is an EPA tool that provides land managers with detailed information on the health of local waterways, including data on water quality, permitted discharges, and restoration efforts. By entering a specific location, users can access community-level insights to inform land management decisions and support effective water resource planning.
This resource is a field guide designed to assist in the identification and use of common riparian woody plants in the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest regions. It includes descriptions, identification keys, and information on the ecological significance of various species.
This resource introduces low-tech, process-based restoration methods, such as beaver dam analogs to rehabilitate incised streams and meadows. It provides a factsheet detailing these techniques, aiming to help newcomers understand and implement practices that slow runoff, spread water, and enhance ecosystem productivity.
NOAA Fisheries' West Coast region focuses on the conservation and management of marine species and their habitats along the Pacific coast, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Key priorities include sustainable fisheries, endangered species recovery, habitat restoration, and community collaboration.
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Find your local Conservation District to learn how you can make a difference.
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