Explore recordings of past OCB webinars below! For information on upcoming webinars and other opportunities to say involved, visit our Events webpage.
May 7, 2025
Shaping the Long-Term Chehalis Basin Strategy
Over the last century, salmon runs in the Chehalis Basin have declined dramatically. Meanwhile, our floods have become bigger, more frequent and more dangerous. People have fought for a long time over these issues, with little to show for it. But we’re finally making progress. In just a decade, the Chehalis Basin Board has invested in more than 140 projects, protecting nearly 300 acres of habitat and over 200 homes and businesses, on time and on budget. Learn how the Chehalis Basin Board is tackling historic flooding, declining salmon runs, and more through a long-term strategy—and how you can help shape the path forward.
March 4, 2025
Skookumchuck Dam: Phase 3 Analyses
How can flood reduction and fish habitat restoration work together? This reocrding of “Skookumchuck Dam: Exploring the Future of Flood Management & Fish Passage”, is one-hour webinar where experts will discuss key findings from the latest Skookumchuck Dam Phase 3 Analysis. This free webinar, hosted by the Department of Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB), explores how potential modifications to TransAlta’s Skookumchuck Dam could reduce flood damage, improve fish passage or achieve a balance between both. This webinar covers: (1) Overview of the alternatives developed in the Skookumchuck Dam – Phases 1 and 2 studies, (2) The new information about fish survival and storing and piping water in the latest Skookumchuck Dam Phase 3 analysis, (3) How flood reduction, fish passage and water rights influence each other, and (4) What we’ve learned and what we still don’t know.
December 3, 2024
Rising Water, Ready Communities: Flood Preparedness and Flood Warning System
The Department of Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) and the independent Chehalis Basin Board oversee the funding and implementation of the Chehalis Basin Strategy—dedicated to protecting Basin communities from flood damage, restoring habitat for aquatic life, and ensuring the Basin is safe and prosperous for people, fish and wildlife for generations to come. Recent wet, stormy weather is a reminder the upcoming 2024-25 flood season is coming soon and being ready is essential for safeguarding lives and livelihoods in the Chehalis River basin. The webinar brings together experts and community leaders to share practical tips on how to protect your home and community, including measures you can take to stay safe before, during and after a flood. The event will include speakers from OCB, Lewis County Emergency Management and the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority, and covers (1) How to use the Flood Authority’s flood warning system, (2) Role of county emergency responders during floods, (3) Ways to floodproof your home and belongings, (4) What to do when a flood occurs, and (5) Flood Insurance 101.
October 9, 2024
Community Update: Proposed solutions for large-scale flood damage reduction
The Department of Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) and the independent Chehalis Basin Board oversee the funding and implementation of the Chehalis Basin Strategy—dedicated to protecting Basin communities from flood damage, restoring habitat for aquatic life, and ensuring the Basin is safe and prosperous for people, fish and wildlife for generations to come. The Chehalis Basin Board is collaborating with its network of partners to design the projects and policies that will create net improvement for people and aquatic life in the Chehalis Basin over the next 30+ years. This webinar provides an update about the solutions the Board is currently considering to reduce damage from major and catastrophic floods. It includes updates on: (1) Next steps in the process to develop the projects and policies for the long-term Chehalis Basin Strategy, (2) The proposed flow-through flood control dam on the Chehalis River near Pe Ell, proposed by the Chehalis River Basin Flood Control Zone District, and (3) The Local Actions Non-Dam Alternative (LAND) effort to develop a suite of actions the Board will consider to reduce flood damages in the upper Basin, with or without building a flood control dam on the Chehalis River.
July 24, 2024
Restoration in Action: Helping Habitats and Communities
Take a dive into local rivers and streams during Restoration in Action: Helping Habitats and Communities. Learn about some of the habitat restoration projects underway through the Chehalis Basin Strategy’s Aquatic Species Restoration Plan and the benefits they provide to local communities, ecosystems, and the region as a whole. This one-hour community webinar is hosted by the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, local conservation districts and Wild Fish Conservancy. It covers: (1) Community and regional benefits, (2) Habitat restoration projects under construction this summer, and (3) Innovative restoration techniques
March 14, 2024
Securing Streambanks: Solutions for Erosion in the Chehalis Basin
Erosion rates are a top concern throughout the Chehalis Basin. From farmland to private residences, community infrastructure to businesses, unnatural rates of streambank erosion threaten the safety and health of both communities and river systems. This one-hour community webinar, hosted by the state Department of Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, covered: (1) Lessons learned from the field, (2) What to do if you have streambank erosion on your property, and (3) The Office of Chehalis Basin’s new Erosion Management Program
November 1, 2023
Atmospheric Rivers Explained
Atmospheric rivers are the leading cause of flood damages in the Chehalis Basin, responsible for 98 percent of the losses during flooding events. Yet it hasn’t been until recently that scientists have understood this weather phenomenon. While heavy rains and flooding are a natural part of life in the Chehalis Basin, climate change is magnifying their severity. It’s crucial that residents understand the resources and actions that can protect themselves, their family, and their property as flood season begins. Join the Office of Chehalis Basin and the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority for a one-hour webinar as we take a deep dive into atmospheric rivers and how Chehalis Basin residents can prepare for them with the Chehalis River Basin Flood Warning System.
September 20, 2023
Get to Know the Chehalis Basin Strategy
You’ve likely heard of the Chehalis Basin Strategy, but have you ever wondered what it actually is? The Strategy is a network of partners and projects who are hard at work to make the Chehalis Basin a safe, healthy, and plentiful place to live—for people, fish, and wildlife. Our projects and programs empower local residents and business owners to improve the region they call home. Join us for a one-hour webinar as we kick-off the next two years of on-the-ground projects, share updates on the long-term path ahead, highlight resources you can use, and answer your questions. This event is part of the Office of Chehalis Basin’s ongoing Chehalis Basin Strategy webinar series, designed around the topics its audiences care most about. Hear directly from staff, community leaders, partners, and technical experts leading efforts across the Strategy.
May 31, 2023
Collaboration and Community: The Aquatic Species Restoration Plan
The Aquatic Species Restoration Plan (ASRP), a key component of the Chehalis Basin Strategy, is a science-based roadmap for restoring aquatic species habitat and protecting ecosystems along the rivers and streams in the Chehalis Basin. Collaboration and community are cornerstones of this Basin-wide effort. Join us for a one-hour webinar as we dive into conversation and case studies about how the ASRP works across the Chehalis Basin and how you can get involved. This webinar will also offer live Spanish interpretation. This event is part of the Office of Chehalis Basin’s ongoing Chehalis Basin Strategy webinar series, designed around the topics its audiences care most about. Hear directly from staff, community leaders, partners, and technical experts leading efforts across the Strategy.
April 13, 2023
Skookumchuck Dam Study Update (Phase 2)
The Skookumchuck Dam is over 50 years old, and the power plant it was built to serve is shutting down in 2025. The Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) has been working with TransAlta (the dam’s owner), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Quinault Indian Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, and others to examine possible futures for the dam. Phase Two of OCB’s analysis is now complete. In the study, we describe four possible outcomes. Join us for a one-hour webinar as we break down the study results and what they could mean for the Skookumchuck River and neighboring communities.
February 8, 2023
Preview the Local Actions Non-Dam Alternatives (LAND)
Reducing flood damage in the Chehalis Basin is a critical issue that requires serious thought and consideration to ensure that we can conserve the Basin’s rich ecosystem. The Local Actions Non-Dam (LAND) Alternative is a collaborative, community effort to develop an approach to reduce flood damage in the Basin that could be implemented as alternatives to –or in addition– to the Chehalis River Dam proposed by the Flood Control Zone District. The LAND Alternative seeks to provide long-term flood damage reduction while considering impacts on local wildlife, residents and businesses, and cost. Join the Office Chehalis Basin and key partners for a one-hour informational update on the current options under consideration, including a question and answer session from the community.
November 30, 2022
Be Aware, Be Prepared: Flood Risks and Resources
Join the Office of Chehalis Basin for a one-hour webinar to learn about the resources and assistance that’s available through the Chehalis Basin Strategy. You’ll hear about assessing flood risk, planning support, floodproofing, and much more.
November 2, 2022
Be Aware, Be Prepared: Learn the Flood Warning System
Join the Office of Chehalis Basin and the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority for a training on the Chehalis River Basin Flood Warning System. The Flood Warning System is a public website with forecasts, inundation maps, and real-time river-level data and alarms that could save your life.
October 25, 2022
Future of Flooding in the Chehalis Basin
Flooding is a fact of life in the Chehalis Basin, and we know that its danger and urgency is intensifying. That’s why the Chehalis Basin Strategy is putting solutions in place to protect people, fish, and wildlife now, while also planning for a more resilient future. Learn how the Office of Chehalis Basin is taking new climate change projections into account, and what it means for you in the Basin.
September 28, 2022
Skookumchuck Dam Study Overview
The Office of Chehalis Basin is currently studying ways that the Skookumchuck Dam—which sits at the midpoint of the Skookumchuck River—could be improved for flood damage reduction and/or fish passage.
March 9, 2022
Skookumchuck Dam Study Update (Phase 1)
The Office of Chehalis Basin is currently studying ways that the Skookumchuck Dam—which sits at the midpoint of the Skookumchuck River—could be improved for flood damage reduction and/or fish passage. This presentation covers findings from Phase 1 of the study. Results from the complete study will be shared in early 2023.