Over the past 150 years, the Willamette Basin has been drastically altered, with massive reductions in natural habitat. Our goal is to move the needle in the other direction, holding lands for conservation indefinitely. Conserving lands and waters in perpetuity, “forever and forever,” is the goal. To do so we:
Purchase or receive donated ecologically healthy lands for permanent protection.
Purchase or receive donated land in need of habitat restoration where we can then take restoration action.
Enable people to learn about these places via educational trips by land and water (walking tours, canoe and kayak trips and more).
Create access to these places, when it makes sense, for low-impact recreation. This includes public access for hiking, bird watching, and just enjoying the peace and quiet of nature. This has to make sense for individual sites and their constraints.
In time our approach will also include conservation easements, enabling private landowners to conserve their lands even as ownership changes.
The Willamette River Preservation Trust is filling a large gap in the Willamette Valley unrepresented by other Land Trusts for decades. We work to protect waters and lands in the Yamhill Basin, Clackamas River Basin, Molalla River Basin, Pudding River Basin, portions of the mainstem Willamette, and occasional sites to the north and south.
