At Willamette Partnership, we believe that when nature thrives, so do people.
That’s why we’re helping cities and organizations across the West change how they build infrastructure, protect critical habitat and water sources, and manage farms and forests as a way to strengthen community resilience.
Make a lasting difference in your community by getting involved with Willamette Partnership.
Owens Farm Community Engagement
Fellow, Silvia Arizmendi joined Oregon State University and Greenbelt Land Trust, interviewing local community members about their experiences in…
Working in Indian Country
Join this three-course training series designed for non-tribal members working with indigenous and tribal communities understand the broader context…
Harper’s Playground Research
Summer Fellow Heidi Hinshaw has been learning about designing public spaces for those who have historically been left out…
Oregon Water Celebration
Join us for in-person and virtual events in August to celebrate the $530 million down payment Oregon made on…
Oregon Leans in on Water, Climate, Health, and Justice
Oregon’s 2021 legislative session ended with an impressive list of actions. Representing a significant down payment in Oregon’s water…
Outdoor Preschools Can Help Rebuild Our Child Care System
Oregon Health & Outdoors Initiative’s “Outdoor Preschool Policy Action Framework” identifies eight options to move you closer to licensed…
In Gratitude 2020
This year, our work has been a refuge that provides a chance for each of us to connect with…
Recreate Responsibly
Willamette Partnership typically joins REI in its #OptOutside movement. This year we join REI and its partners to Recreate…
Defining Community Resilience
Summer Fellow Walle Brown joined our team to help us better understand the concept of community resilience, and how…
Communications Strategy for Oak & Prairie
Willamette Partnership is seeking to hire a creative consultant to create an innovative Communications Strategy for Oak & Prairie…
Reimagining Outdoor Head Start Preschools in Tygh Valley
Reimagine what Head Start preschools could look like, outdoors! Lynny Brown reflects on her visit to Tygh Valley Head…
Water is Life
This Imagine a Day Without Water, Sarah Deumling and John Miller share their insight into how water has shaped…
Accessibility is a mindset, not a box to check
The Accessibility Toolkit for Land Managers is an informative document meant to help land managers design and maintain with…
Accessible Recreation in Oregon
Have you ever been stoked to explore a new place to recreate outdoors, only to finally get there and…
10 Ways Oregon Could Be A Water Leader
This Infrastructure Week, we wanted to share 10 ways Oregon could be a water leader and the success stories…
Infrastructure Can Save Lives
We want to thank everyone who is keeping our communities safe and healthy. Infrastructure can save lives and it…
Outdoor Preschool as an Equity and Resilience Tool for Communities
Download the ‘Outdoor Preschool Equity Toolkit’. This resource was designed for current preschool providers to highlight best practices that…
Greener Parks for Healing: An Opportunity?
The Greener Parks for Health resources offer messages, tools, and policy solutions to help communicate, advocate, and institutionalize green…
NRPA Announces ‘Greener Parks for Health’ Resources
The Greener Parks for Health resources offer a variety of research-informed messages, tools, and policy solutions for park and…
Equitable Recovery in the Federal Stimulus
Our third Happening Hour shifted focus to Equitable Recovery and the Federal Stimulus. We discussed lessons learned from the…
Black Lives Matter
In the face of continuous systemic injustice and racism, Willamette Partnership stands with the Black community.
Don’t Rebuild the Systems that Broke
At our last Happening Hour, Sam Baraso of Portland Clean Energy Fund and Jill Fuglister of Meyer Memorial Trust…
Making the Outdoors Safe for Everyone
The message to get outdoors for your health has been more present than ever, but not everyone has the…
Giving Tuesday Now
Giving Tuesday Now is a global day of giving to provide extra support during COVID-19. Many of our partners…
Opportunity to Unite
Our first Happening Hour brought three community leaders to ask what the conservation community can do to support an…
Happening Hours
Join a virtual convening to discuss how communities are reacting during this crisis and hear how we are thinking…
Why We Love Water
Ever wonder why Oregonians love water so much? This Valentine’s Day, read Bobby Cochran’s experience from this past fall…
Building Momentum 2019
Willamette Partnership invites you to explore some of the stories and people we are proud of in our 2019…
#OptOutside for Green Friday
#OptOutside this Green Friday! Meet some of our closest partners and colleagues who are actively working to get more…
Nature to Bridge Childhood Education Gap
The Oregon Health & Outdoors Initiative is spearheading a statewide effort to drive a pathway to licensure for outdoor…
Sustainable Northwest Wood Partners for Oak
We are excited to announce the partnership between Sustainable Northwest Wood and the Oak Accord. To combat the accelerated…
Imagine Oregon Without Water
This Imagine a Day Without Water, learn more about Oregon’s 100-year Water Vision. Read about the current water challenges…
Say Hello to Barton Robison
Barton Robison has been with Willamette Partnership since 2018. As we welcome him back, we want to (re)introduce him…
Making Space and Changing Systems
Bobby Cochran is back at Willamette Partnership after a year-long fellowship. Read his two reasons for taking his fellowship…
John Day’s Innovation Gateway Plan
The City of John Day is working to revitalize and convert the former Oregon Pine mill site and surrounding…
Making the Case for Urban Greening
Jade Greening is a collaboration of partners working towards a shared vision of a more breathable, accessible, livable, and…
Celebrating Honoring Our Roots
Relive our annual partnership celebration, Honoring Our Roots, where we recognized the leaders and partners who have helped shape…
Sara O’Brien named Executive Director, Bobby Cochran returning
We are pleased to announce that Sara O’Brien has been named Willamette Partnership’s Executive Director. Bobby Cochran will return…
Oregon’s 100 Year Water Vision
Oregon’s natural resource agency leaders have begun a conversation about constructing a 100-Year Water Vision for the state, the…
Collective Action: The Story of the Oak Accord
Watch the video about the Oak Accord, a voluntary grassroots initiative started by landowners to protect and restore what…
Infrastructure Week 2019
Infrastructure Week 2019 highlights the needs to repair and modernize America’s infrastructure while focusing on the proposed plan to…
World Water Day 2019
Happy World Water Day 2019! Willamette Partnership strives towards clean water and this March 22 we want to share…
Love Letters to Water
This Valentine’s Day, we asked just a few of Oregon’s water leaders to express their appreciation of water through…
Meet Our New Board Members
We are proud to announce our newest members of Willamette Partnership’s Board of Directors for 2019; Mark Buckley, John…
2018 Annual Report: Leadership
Our 2018 Annual Report celebrates the leadership of our staff, board, partners, and colleagues. The role our past leaders…
This is Where We #OptOutside
This Friday, November 23, 2018, join Willamette Partnership staff, our friends at REI, and many others in participating in…
Showing Our Gratitude for Strong Foundations on #GivingTuesday
This #GivingTuesday, we’re asking you to help us by making a contribution to our organization as part of your…
Priority Actions for Advancing Water Quality Trading
The National Network on Water Quality Trading’s new report investigates what’s keeping water quality trading on the sidelines and…
Launch of Oregon Health & Outdoors Website
The network of Oregon nonprofits working to improve health equity throughout the state by increasing access to the outdoors…
Honoring Our Rivers Fledges the Nest
Willamette Partnership’s statewide student art and poetry project, known as Honoring Our Rivers, is celebrating an 18th birthday, and…
A Review of Water Utility Workforce Development
Understanding how water utilities attract and retain employees today can help shape the water workforce needed for tomorrow. In…
Willamette Confluence River Restoration Photo Story
When we look at a river through the lens of a scientist, we can see there’s more than what…
New National Guide on Increasing Green Infrastructure to Improve Public Health
Preserving and creating spaces for people to be outdoors in nature can be a part of the solution to…
Swimming in Different Circles: Challenges Facing the Water Industry
Clean Water Fellow, Austin Melcher, shares his perspectives on the challenges of water management today, including the cost, the…
Bobby Cochran Takes One-Year Fellowship, Sara O’Brien Steps Up
Beginning Aug. 1, 2018, Willamette Partnership’s Executive Director, Bobby Cochran, will be pursuing a one-year research fellowship with the…
3 Lessons Learned While Interning at Willamette Partnership
He came with only a resume and a passion for equity in the field of natural resources but left…
Reliving Oregon’s Bounty Event
More than 150 people from over 60 organizations, agencies, and businesses joined Willamette Partnership and the Confederated Tribes of…
Supreme Court Says Tribal Treaty Rights Require Salmon Passage to Sea
The recent ruling means that the Washington state government must remove barriers to salmon migration in rivers to uphold…
The Oak Accord’s First Year of Successes
It was only a little over a year ago that locals of the Willamette Valley came together and launched…
Handbook Helps Conservation Districts Engage Farmers in Water Quality Trading
Growing out of a workshop hosted by the National Network on Water Quality Trading, the “Handbook for Conservation Districts…
What Can You Learn From Kids Who Love Rivers?
Celebrate some of Oregon’s youngest published authors and artists who draw their inspiration from the state’s freshwater ecosystems at…
Reliving the 7 Reasons Why Floodplains Are Important
In light of recent bipartisan support urging the federal government to help U.S. cities become more resilient to flooding,…
World Water Day Happy Hour
March 22, 2018, is World Water Day, a day to focusing on the importance of water. Our Clean Water…
Measuring the Benefits of Urban Tree Planting
A recent tree planting event in Portland’s Jade District with Friends of Trees volunteers kicks off Willamette Partnership’s effort to…
Working in the Northwest’s Water Sector: Our Clean Water Heroes
As Willamette Partnerships launches a new project surveying the Northwest’s water utility sector to learn how we can recruit…
State of the Union on Infrastructure Response
Tuesday’s State of the Union speech called for $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure investment but was short on details….
Quantifying Water Quality Benefits of Conservation Practices
A new version of the national Nutrient Tracking Tool is released. The tool helps measure water quality improvements from conservation…
What’s Holding Back the Demand for Water Quality Trading in the U.S.?
The National Network on Water Quality Trading is working on identifying and addressing the barriers to the widespread use of…
Videos: Introducing States to Water Quality Trading Program Templates
Drive meaningful investment toward achieving clean water goals with water quality trading. These new videos introduce templates that states…
Nine Ways to Start Connecting Stormwater and Floodplain Management: A New Report
Floodplains and stormwater are hydrologically connected but managed separately under environmental laws. Our new report offers nine ways managers…
2017 Annual Report
Willamette Partnership’s 2017 Annual Report highlights the significant outcomes of our work over the fiscal year with an emphasis…
This Giving Tuesday, Give to Our Partners
Here are three organizations you might not know that have good people doing courageous work to make our world…
This Is Why We #OptOutside
This Friday, following Thanksgiving, we join our friends at REI and the millions of others who are choosing to…
Oak and Prairie Conservation Business Plan Offers Hope
In this blog post, Nicole Maness share how this new plan maps priorities for conservation investments and actions needed…
Meet Willamette Partnership’s Growing Staff
As Willamette Partnership invests in creating smarter infrastructure, advancing working lands conservation, and supporting community resilience, we’re getting the…
SageCon Progress Continues in Oregon
SageCon and Oregon’s efforts to implement its Sage-Grouse Action Plan continue to move forward despite the recent federal move…
Research Agenda Calls for Deeper Look into Health Benefits of Nature Contact
How do you measure a “dose” of nature? A multi-sector teams’ newly published research agenda says answers to questions…
Mayor Wheeler Celebrates Portland’s Poet’s Beach
Mayor Ted Wheeler takes a celebratory dip at Portland’s new public beach, named Poet’s Beach after the student poem…
Photo Gallery: Celebration of People & Water
View photos from the 2017 Celebration of People and Water hosted by Willamette Partnership and the Confederated Tribes of…
Public Health: An Ecosystem of Partnerships
Professionals from both the public health and the science fields must work together to overcome health inequities, says Cameron…
School’s Out: A Year of ‘Honoring Our Rivers’ in Review
With the last day of school around the corner in Oregon, ’Honoring Our Rivers’ reels in another successful year…
Webcast: Working with the Market for Green Stormwater Infrastructure
A free webcast for stormwater managers looking to green infrastructure for a cost-effective, multi-benefit alternative to concrete and steel…
(Re)defining Infrastructure
National Infrastructure Week has us thinking about our original infrastructure: nature. Beyond bridges and buildings, here’s why we need…
Psst, We’re Hiring a Habitat Program Manager
This position will lead Willamette Partnership’s Resilient Habitat Program. Learn more here. Deadline to apply is June 15, 2017….
Working With the Market for Green Stormwater Infrastructure
We see nature as our original infrastructure. This new report helps communities drive implementation and investment in green infrastructure…
Podcast: A Business Case for Medicaid to Pay for Trees
(Length: 8:00 min) Bobby Cochran, executive director of Willamette Partnership, tells you why Medicaid should be paying for trees,…
Podcast: Overcoming Barriers to Getting People Outdoors for Their Health
(Length 7:30 min) The executive director of Willamette Partnership, Bobby Cochran, talks about the Oregon Health and Outdoors Initiative,…
We’re Hiring: Clean Water Project Manager
We’re hiring a Clean Water Project Manager. Learn more here. Deadline to apply is April 1, 2017.
New Health Guidelines for Outdoor Education Released
The Health and Outdoors Initiative that Willamette Partnership helps lead recently released guidelines to help outdoor education providers incorporate…
Flood Storage Assessment Methodology RFQ
Willamette Partnership intends to hire a consultant to develop a quantification method that measures floodplain storage and attenuation for…
Why We Want You to Give to The Next Door
Giving Tuesday is an international day of giving back to great causes. We think you ought to support our…
5 Takeaways on Creating Incentives for Natural Stormwater Infrastructure
Willamette Partnership brought over 50 leaders together in Washington D.C. this month to brainstorm how economic incentives could drive…
Watershed Investments: 3 Ways to Get More Money into Trees
In the second part of a series on the value of watersheds, we discuss a growing momentum across the…
SageCon Meets to Put Oregon ‘Plan’ Into Action
This Friday, a diverse partnership of ranchers, environmental groups, and state and federal agencies will meet to discuss how…
The Value of Watersheds
Today is Imagine a Day Without Water. In the first of a series, we go one step further, thinking…
Newly Released Water Quality Trading Policy Templates
Willamette Partnership and the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) are proud to announce the release of five water…
Cochran Gets Prestigious Culture of Health Leaders Award
Willamette Partnership’s executive director joins a cohort of 50 leaders working to develop innovative tools that enable people to…
5 Lessons Learned Interning This Summer
It’s back to school for most, including our summer intern, Laura Wood. She writes about her summer working with…
Verifying Environmental Credits: How Much Is Enough?
In part 3 of the Water Quality Trading series, we explain what verification means and present a draft audit…
Time to update our vision of public health in environmental policy?
Despite the clear connection between the natural environment and public health, these fields haven’t evolved together with a shared…
Thanks to the partners and individuals who contributed photography to the homepage slider (from the second slide to the last): Clean Water Services, Bruce Taylor, Bureau of Land Management, The Wetlands Conservancy, Ray Perkins / Next Door, Andrea Johnson / Oregon Wine Press.
