As we head toward autumn in the wake of a long, hot summer, WaterWatch has several events happening this month we’d love for you to join us at — including two this Saturday the 12th. Consider this your invitation and join us for these September events with WaterWatch of Oregon. Find our entire list of

Get your tickets and tables now for our 24th Annual Celebration of Oregon Rivers and annual auction Nov. 7th at Castaway Portland. Whether helping ensure passage of the 1.25% for Wildlife initiative, stopping bad water bills in Salem, preserving Oregon’s rivers in the midst of drought, our campaign to remove Winchester Dam, or pushing back

Join marine biologist and Shifting Tides founder Alanna Kieffer as she facilitates this special coastal workshop in Wheeler on Saturday, Aug. 22nd. There are only a few spaces left for our upcoming Shifting Tides Workshop, so reserve your spot today to join this Saturday, Aug. 22nd, at The Salmonberry Restaurant in Wheeler. Marine biologist and Shifting

Join WaterWatch of Oregon at Whitaker Ponds Nature Park in Northeast Portland for a Feather & FLOW birding walk on Saturday, Aug. 15th, at 9 a.m., led by birding guide, photographer, and author Eric Carlson, also known as Seymore Gulls. Birders of all experience levels are welcome to attend, and you can expect a relaxed,

The summer issue of our Instream newsletter features the latest in our campaign to remove Winchester Dam, drought concerns, legislative successes, data centers, and more. With outdoor season upon us and Oregon’s drought increasing in severity throughout the state, there’s no doubt summer is here. And with that, the 16-page summer issue of our Instream

  This article appears in the summer 2026 issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter. The effects of climate change on Oregon’s river ecosystems have been stark. Low snowpack, warming temperatures, and shifting hydrology are exacerbating long-standing challenges facing Oregon’s over-tapped rivers. Climate change is also increasing incidents of drought, with 2026 being no exception.

This article appears in the summer 2026 issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter. Data centers present new challenges for Oregon’s waters, often in places where rivers, aquifers, imperiled species — and communities — have nothing left to give. Data centers use water in several ways. Some use water to cool clusters of servers housed

Support WaterWatch throughout the day on Tuesday, June 30th, during a daylong Oakshire Inspires event benefitting WaterWatch of Oregon at Oakshire Brewing’s Portland Beer Hall. Join WaterWatch on Tuesday, June 30th, at the Oakshire Portland Beer Hall at 5013 NE 42nd Ave. for a daylong Oakshire Inspires event benefit in support of WaterWatch of Oregon. As part of Oakshire Brewing’s support for local

As Oregon’s drought emergency grows more severe, check back at this page or at our Oregon 2026 Drought page for the latest updates and additions to this list of drought-related news stories from local, state, and national outlets and publications. If you see a news story we missed, let us know. Low Carryover Could Lead

April 22, 2026 In the midst of a difficult moment for our nation’s environmental safeguards, this may be the most important and meaningful Earth Day. With our special connections to rivers, water, fish, wildlife, and the outdoors, Earth Day is an important day for those of us in Oregon. We’d like to wish you an

This article originally appeared in the spring 2026 issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter. In December, the state designated the Harney Basin a Critical Groundwater Area with the adopted rules for cutting back groundwater pumping to stabilize groundwater levels by 2058. This marks a major step forward for Oregon groundwater policy, and the culmination

This article originally appeared in the spring 2026 issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter. Shortly after the New Year, WaterWatch began to help assemble a coalition of angling, land-use, and conservation organizations to prevent the giveaway of public lands in the Mt. Hood National Forest proposed by HR 655, a troubling bill that would

With Governor Tina Kotek signing HB 4134 into law, the 1.25% for Wildlife campaign comes to a successful conclusion in Oregon. At WaterWatch, our work is focused on protecting and restoring the streamflows that power our state’s world-class rivers and streams, which in turn provide vital habitat, foraging grounds, and migratory corridors for a variety

The North Umpqua River’s salmon and steelhead will find it easier to move upstream and downstream past Winchester Dam by 2029, thanks to a final fish passage order approved by a 6-to-1 vote of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in February. The action came after the Winchester Water Control District, which owns the dam,

The weather is warming, flowers and trees are blooming, allergies are raging, water is flowing cold, and the spring issue of Instream is arriving in mailboxes now. Featuring a cover photo of Mt. Hood and the Sandy River Valley by photographer Josemaria Toscano, each issue of Instream is a collaborative effort by the WaterWatch staff