HOW WE PARTNER

Lasting conservation solutions need diverse voices. That’s why we’re a partnership.

Most of the complex conservation challenges we face cannot be solved by one organization or one perspective. Inclusivity and different perspectives are as important as technical expertise when it comes to implementing long-lasting conservation solutions. Willamette Partnership has a 20-year track record of bringing diverse stakeholders together to work toward common goals. We’ve seen first-hand how real change happens, and it happens most often when communities bring many voices to the table.

Most often we partner in a supportive role with groups who are tackling how to deal with impaired water quality, rates of depression and obesity, habitat degradation, and economic development, or a combination of these tightly intertwined issues. Our support might include the transfer of technical knowledge, crafting policy options, creating new financing sources, or facilitating collaboration or big-picture thinking.

We believe that long-lasting conservation comes from high-capacity networks of people working on a wide range of issues. We look for partners who are trusted locally, can implement conservation on the ground, and who are interested in our support to build their own capacity to lead. We fill the gaps identified with our local partners. We may lead on issues, such as oak conservation or smarter floodplain management, but we are just as happy to support our partners’ leadership.

For us, good partnerships create wiser outcomes faster and more cost-effectively. They involve transparency and trust where we can debate and disagree toward common goals.

Willamette Partnership has always been rooted in a vision of shared leadership; working together to make the possible a reality. We asked a few friends how they see us meeting that vision of leadership, now and in the future.