Landowner Partnerships
What is The Freshwater Trust doing here?
Within the upper Willamette River basin, The Freshwater Trust (TFT) has partnered with local municipalities to develop conservation programs that strategically plant trees and vegetation beside rivers to lower water temperatures, decrease agricultural runoff, and safeguard riverbanks from erosion. Most of the land is privately owned, so developing partnerships with local landowners has become a critical part of the conservation equation.
When TFT and partners approach local landowners, we explain our goals and how leasing a portion of their land to these projects can benefit them and their properties. Such benefits may include monetary compensation. Property benefits include our teams providing weed mitigation on the leased portion of land, and the trees planted will help prevent their land from eroding.
Why is this important?
People don’t realize how many different stakeholders are involved in conservation. Developing relationships and partnerships with these different groups, including landowners, helps us achieve our goals, but we must make it mutually beneficial. These projects last 10 to 20 years, and asking the landowner to commit to a project for that time is a big decision. Maintaining a strong relationship and working with them to ensure they benefit from their involvement is in the best interest of conservation.
How can you support these efforts?
One key way to support our efforts is through donations. TFT ensures that every dollar you give delivers measurable results that will make a difference in a timeline that matters. You can make a one-time gift or become a regular monthly donor today.
You can also support us by staying connected through our regular newsletter and emails. Sign up today to get the latest TFT news.
Following our social media accounts and sharing our posts with friends, family, and colleagues can also help support freshwater conservation and get more people involved.
You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to take a deeper dive?
Check out these resources to learn about landowner partnerships and related work in the upper Willamette basin.
