WHO ARE WE?

The Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council is a local nonprofit organization that strives to enhance and restore habitat for fish and wildlife, our community, and for future generations. We are a small organization run by a staff of five.  Our Board of Directors consists of seven members, with representatives from local agencies, educational institutions, health sciences, agriculture and sustainability.

MISSION

Our mission is to enhance the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed through restoration, monitoring, education and stewardship.

WHAT IS A WATERSHED COUNCIL?

Watershed councils are a model of engaging communities in water quality and habitat improvements that is unique to Oregon. There are over 60 around the state–we can all be reached through the Network of Oregon Watershed Councils. Each watershed council is an independently-operated, locally-driven organization that receives some public funding through competitive processes managed by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, among other funders.

Coast Fork Goals and Objectives

RESTORE WATERSHED FUNCTION

Create a restoration program that is supported in the financial and technical resources necessary to effectively improve these watershed resources:

AQUATIC HABITAT

• Improve stream channel structure in priority streams to address limitations to spawning conditions.
• Connect rivers and streams to their floodplains and other rearing habitat.
• Remove barriers to native fish accessing spawning habitat.

TERRESTRIAL HABITAT

• Improve riparian corridors in width, extent, species composition, shade and wood deposition capability.
• Enhance wetlands, prairies, oak savannas and other at-risk ecosystems for the benefit of native species.
• Strategically address high priority invasive species (knotweed, etc.)

WATER QUALITY

• Support policies and public resource allocation to protect water quality; assist in TMDL Implementation in the Coast Fork Watershed.
• Implement visible and educational restoration, monitoring, and stewardship projects that protect water quality.

MONITOR WATERSHED CONDITIONS

• Coordinate with experts to conduct studies, collect data, and develop restoration strategies and designs necessary to improve watershed condition in the Coast Fork Willamette River basin.
• Establish & maintain a diverse Technical Committee to review Coast Fork-focused studies, monitoring results, project designs, and implementation outcomes.
• Maintain a GIS database and produce relevant maps of watershed projects necessary to present project opportunities and document results.

EDUCATE & ACTIVATE THE WATERSHED COMMUNITY

• Establish & maintain a diverse board of directors to foster effective nonprofit business management practices and watershed enhancement strategies.
• Provide opportunities for the general public to be involved in watershed enhancement activities (public meetings, work parties, other events).
• Interpret project sites and watershed project objectives via tours, signage, hands-on education, and stewardship via watershed education programs that enrich students, citizens, agency partners, and landowners.

STEWARD WATERSHED RESOURCES

Provide and support watershed service opportunities to residents and students at public lands restoration sites.
Build a strong and cohesive volunteer base of individuals and partner organizations.