Conservation easements
We cover the appraisal, legal and stewardship costs so a family can protect their streamside acres permanently.
Restoring rivers since 2003
Cold, clean water and the fish that need it
We buy and protect streamside land, tear out culverts that block spawning runs, and replant the banks. Twenty two years of work you can walk out and stand in.
11,400acres protected
63 miof stream reopened
184barriers removed
22 yrsin the basins
Our work
Land, water and the people who own both
Most of what we do happens on private land, in partnership with the families who own it.
Fish passage barrier removal
Replacing undersized culverts and failing crossings with spans that let juvenile fish move upstream.
Riparian replanting
Native willow, alder and cedar planted along bare banks, with three years of survival monitoring and replacement.
Large wood placement
Engineered logjams that rebuild pools, slow flows and create the cold water refuges fish need in August.
Water quality monitoring
Temperature, turbidity and macroinvertebrate sampling at 71 stations, data published openly each winter.
Volunteer work parties
Saturday planting, invasive removal and streamside cleanup events, tools, gloves and lunch provided.
About the Trust
Restoration that outlasts the grant cycle
The Trust was founded in 2003 by a coalition of landowners, a retired fisheries biologist and two timber families who wanted a middle path between logging and lawsuits. We hold easements in perpetuity and we monitor them, which means annual site visits and a stewardship endowment behind every acre.
•Every easement carries a funded stewardship endowment for perpetual monitoring
•Restoration sites monitored for a minimum of ten years after construction
•Data and financials published openly, including projects that did not work
Reviews
Landowners and partners
“We wanted the creek side of the ranch protected after we are gone but could not afford the legal work. They handled all of it and we still farm the uplands exactly as before.”
Ellen and Ray D., Easement landowners, Lane County
“The culvert on our access road was a barrier and a flood risk. They replaced it with a proper span at no cost to us and the road has not washed since.”
Tomas G., Siuslaw basin landowner
“I have taken students to their monitoring stations for six years. The data quality is genuinely research grade.”
Dr. Hana K., Community college instructor
FAQ
Questions from landowners and donors
Does a conservation easement mean I lose control of my land?
No. You keep ownership, you keep living or farming there, and you can sell or pass it to your children. The easement is a recorded agreement that limits specific future uses such as subdivision or building in the riparian zone. Every easement is negotiated with the landowner and no two are identical.
Will restoration work cost me anything?
In almost every case, no. Barrier removal and replanting projects are funded through state salmon restoration grants, federal programs and private donors. Landowners contribute access and their agreement, not money. If a project would improve infrastructure beyond fish passage needs, we discuss any cost share openly before design begins.
How do you know the restoration actually works?
We monitor every constructed site for at least ten years, tracking channel form, water temperature, streamside plant survival and juvenile fish use. Results, including the projects that underperformed, are published in our annual monitoring report. Roughly one in eight sites needs corrective work, and we budget for it up front.
Where does my donation go?
About 79 cents of every dollar goes directly to field programs, with the rest split between fundraising and administration. Restricted gifts can be directed to a specific basin or to the stewardship endowment. Our audited financials and IRS Form 990 are posted on the site each spring.
Contact
Talk to us about your land or lend a Saturday
Landowners, call and we will walk your creek with you at no cost or obligation. Volunteers, work parties run most Saturdays from October through March.
Phone(541) 555-0136
Address620 Willamette St, Suite 210, Eugene, Oregon
HoursMon to Fri 9am to 5pm, field work weekends by schedule
AreaWillamette, McKenzie and Siuslaw river basins