In May 2025, following their 23-year partnership, Western Rivers Conservancy and the Yurok Tribe completed the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary in the largest single “land back” deal in California history, a milestone for river conservation and tribal sovereignty in the West.
Western Rivers Conservancy protected a key piece of a major migration corridor for elk, mule deer, pronghorn and other animals and opened access to five miles of Tarryall Creek by creating the Collard Ranch State Wildlife Area with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Western Rivers Conservancy is working in Montana's Big Hole Valley to deliver water for imperiled fluvial Arctic grayling, to preserve recreational access, and to protect habitat for the area’s diverse wildlife.
Learn more about our impact and why we buy land along rivers. Meet the WRC staff and board, read our annual reports and meet the partners who help us get the job done.
WRC buys and conserves land along rivers throughout the American West. Learn more about our projects, state by state, from Washington to California, Oregon to Colorado, and beyond.