When it comes to tackling the twin aims of the Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) – protecting communities and residents from flood-related damage and restoring salmon and aquatic habitat in the Chehalis River Basin – everyone has an important role to play.
Besides the Chehalis Basin Board and OCB, work on the Chehalis Basin Strategy is driven by many other partners including Basin residents and community leaders, local, Tribal and state officials, scientists, farmers and ranchers, business owners, boaters and fishers, environmental entities and nonprofit organizations. All are committed to making the Chehalis Basin a safer, healthier, and more abundant place to live.
Strategy leadership
The Chehalis Basin Board: The independent Chehalis Basin Board is a group of community leaders representing the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Quinault Indian Nation, and agricultural, economic and environmental interests. The Board was established by the Washington Legislature in 2016, and members bring diverse interests and perspectives to the table. Board members lead and shape the Chehalis Basin Strategy. During regular monthly meetings, the Board listens to and gathers input from residents, partners and the public to help make final decisions about the direction for the Strategy—including identifying projects to fund.
Visit the Chehalis Basin Board website to see its member list and information about Board meetings which are open to the public.
Office of Chehalis Basin: The Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) is housed within the Washington Department of Ecology and was established by the Washington Legislature in 2016. The small Ecology office administers funding for the Chehalis Basin Strategy, supports the Chehalis Basin Board and helps keep the Strategy moving. OCB leads a coalition of critical partners providing scientific, cultural, economic, and environmental expertise. OCB also provides transparency and accountability about the Strategy to the public.
Aquatic Species Restoration Program Steering Committee: The Quinault Indian Nation, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Chehalis Tribe advise the Board on the Aquatic Species Restoration Program. The Tribes and the Department are the voting members of the Steering Committee that recommends how the Board invests in restoring aquatic life in the Basin.
Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority: Thurston, Grays Harbor, and Lewis counties, along with most of the cities and towns in the Chehalis Basin, have come together in a Flood Authority. As well as maintaining the critical warning system that alerts residents of upcoming floods, the Flood Authority recommends local flood damage reduction projects for the Board to fund.
Project partners network
The Chehalis Basin Strategy would not be possible without the work of partner organizations and entities such as local conservation districts who are turning ideas into shovel-ready projects and actions already benefitting residents, fish, and wildlife throughout the Basin.
Thank you to our core partners:
In addition, we’re grateful to partner with local government members of the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority (Cities of Aberdeen, Bucoda, Cosmopolis, Hoquiam, Montesano, Oakville, Centralia, Chehalis, Napavine, Pe Ell; Counties of Grays Harbor, Lewis, Thurston).
We work in partnership with dozens of additional entities across Chehalis Basin Strategy projects and are grateful for their stewardship of the Chehalis Basin.