The Freshwater Trust’s Equity Statement

The Freshwater Trust is committed to the ongoing work of building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all employees are respected. We value the varied perspectives and life experiences of our staff, partners, and the communities we serve.

We acknowledge that delivering environmental outcomes that secure a resilient freshwater future will require systemic changes in how conservation occurs. We commit to working towards creating better decision-making tools and solutions that will create ecological uplift while considering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) impacts.

We have long partnered across a spectrum of communities to implement best management practices and provide economic incentives to bring about quantified benefits. We have hired local contractors and businesses as partners in our work to improve native fish habitat. We have received grants that help us learn from marginalized communities and help them disseminate information about freshwater resources in California. While these are examples of how our mission has overlapped with people, The Freshwater Trust recognizes the internal and strategic work that needs to continue to ensure equity of multiple forms.

To this end, we have developed a set of commitments and opportunities to help us formally progress in our equity journey. Recognizing the abundance of work and learning we must do to support that effort, we are also committed to revisiting this statement and updating it on a frequent basis.

The Freshwater Trust can affirmatively commit to:

• Building an inclusive and equitable organization where we put our people first.
• Prioritizing an understanding of DEI through continuous learning and demonstrating our commitment to fair treatment, access, and opportunity.
• Implementing equitable practices for hiring, promoting, evaluating, and vendor selection processes. Such equitable practices must be intentional and conscious of potential biases.
• Focusing on impacts, rather than intentions, and recognizing that if we identify an adverse impact, we will confront it regardless of intent.
• Respectfully calling out bias and responding from a place of action, learning and growth.
• Recognizing that talking about this openly/candidly is something that we have an obligation to do, and that doing so is not an indictment of anyone, but an institutional commitment to confront and correct current and ongoing bias in the restoration sector, even if the discussions are uncomfortable. We commit to approaching these issues with learning, patience, and a desire to change minds and outcomes.