CREST is a regional leader in the development, management and implementation of habitat restoration projects – with an emphasis on designing fish and wildlife projects that also address community and landowner problems. Project types include: culvert replacement, tidegate retrofits, dike breaches, river realignment, engineered log jam installation, riparian planting, invasive species removal, etc.
CREST employs a fully equipped field crew that monitors the effectiveness of habitat restoration actions and participates in academic research.
CREST is a coordinating entity that provides a local, bi-state forum for environmental planning issues in the Lower Columbia region.
Since its foundation in 1974, CREST has been adapted a leadership role in research and environmental planning for the Columbia River Estuary. CREST has amalgamated a substantial body of information that can be used for current and future initiatives. The library's extensive collection includes resources regarding not only the Columbia River Estuary, but also the entire northern Pacific coast, the length and span of the Columbia River and its tributaries, and the ecosystems that border these regions.