Human culture once centered upon and directly depended on water bodies. Although well over half of the nation's population still lives within 100 miles of a coast or significant river, our connection with these waters for sustenance and livelihood is less apparent than it was for our forebears. It is harder today to see how many of our daily lifestyle choices have direct impacts on our water resources. Citizens are not now fully aware of their ability and responsibility to protect and improve the health of the lower Columbia River and its tributaries. A network is maintained to provide information about activities that impact the water and habitat quality in the lower river and estuary.
Every individual knows what lifestyle practices improve or impair water and habitat quality.
Continuing education teaches us about the complexity of the Columbia River as a system and provides us with an evolving knowledge base to understand the system and make environmentally sound decisions. Every individual is a trustee of the river. Our actions on land, even miles from the river, can have negative impacts on the health of the river. Fertilizer spread on lawns in urban areas drains to the Columbia River. The construction of miles of pavement for new shopping areas outside urban boundaries, and the roads to take us there, results in more heavy metals and toxic chemicals entering the river.