Through Siuslaw Estuary Restoration project, a push to enrich habitat for fish and shorebirds

Outside Florence, a major restoration project is underway that will reverse over a century’s worth of development and dairy farm operations. Partners behind the Siuslaw Estuary restoration project say it will convert almost 200 acres of land back into an area that will benefit the environment and wildlife, especially salmon.

Recently, on a rugged, rolling landscape of clayish mud and sod, Kyle Terry drove along a section of the Siuslaw Estuary in a small but powerful utility vehicle.

“There were about six linear drainage ditches dug to accommodate the dairy ranch,” he said, pointing to an excavated area. “And we’re going to fill all those in this year, they were originally dug to drain the site so the pasture grass could be raised and cows could graze.”