How We Work
Western Rivers Conservancy identifies key riverlands, enters negotiations with private landowners - including corporations, families and utilities - and creates strategies to purchase and conserve those sensitive riverlands by transferring them to public or private stewards for long-term conservation and management.
In the process of acquiring riverlands, we work with a wide variety of partners, both private and public:
Corporations that own relatively unproductive or difficult to manage riverlands. We review a corporation's inventory of riverlands and make recommendations for conservation and disposition. Western Rivers Conservancy can arrange a purchase or land exchange.
Families that want to conserve a riverside home place, protect a riparian woodland or wetland, or memorialize a family member can work in confidence with Western Rivers Conservancy.
Electric utilities that need to "get ahead of the curve" in dam reliscensing or mitigation. Western Rivers Conservancy helps put together reliscensing packages that include land acquisition.
Municipal water utilities that need to protect watersheds as sources of drinking water. Western Rivers Conservancy can help design and implement a comprehensive source protection program, including land acquisition.
Private conservation buyers can work through Western Rivers Conservancy to purchase, conserve and use outstanding river properties.
Local governments often want to acquire riverland for open space but lack the staff and the funding to do the jog efficiently. Western Rivers Conservancy will work with local governments to get a greenway program underway.
Federal and state agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and state parks and wildlife agencies work with Western Rivers Conservancy to acquire and conserve riverlands.
