The Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council acknowledges the lands on which we work and live are the homelands of the Confederated Tribes of the Grant Ronde, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Yoncalla, Cow Creek Umpqua, Siuslaw, and Kalapuya people. Indigenous people have stewarded this land for thousands of years, and CFWWC supports on-going indigenous stewardship of these lands. It is in that spirit that we affirm our commitment to recognize that we are doing work on stolen lands of tribal communities that were here before white colonization and commit to continuing to listen, learn, include, and grow. More can be done to help ensure to reintegrate traditional and cultural ways of honoring the landscape and the fundamental human rights of clean water and healthy habitats.
Impacts of modern-day systemic racism are also recognized by the CFWWC. The U.S. society has long failed to address or acknowledge a history that has created and maintained disparities and barriers that limit opportunities for native peoples that lived here since time immemorial and communities of people based on race, culture, religion, socio-economic status and many other characteristics used to divide us.