The Freshwater Trust is all about freshwater.

The Freshwater Trust actively works to restore and protect entire freshwater ecosystems. Our goal is simple: return health to every river and stream in the state. The Environmental Protection Agency says that 30,000 miles of Oregon’s rivers and streams fail to fully support aquatic life. That’s more than 25 percent. And another 44 percent of our rivers and streams are threatened.

The good news is that The Freshwater Trust has a history of doing science-based restoration projects that improve the health of our freshwater ecosystems. What does that mean? It means we do on-the-ground restoration projects on rivers and streams in Oregon. A restoration project usually means returning a river to its natural state – adding large logs to create spawning pools for native fish or planting trees along the riverbeds to reduce the water’s temperature. Beyond instream restoration, we work with agricultural landowners to leave more water in the rivers and streams.

But without an insurance policy, all this work would be in vain. That’s why, through our Healthy Waters Institute, we get students out of the classroom to learn about their local rivers and streams. The idea is that these hands-on learning opportunities will help them protect our freshwater ecosystems well into the future.

With 26 years of experience in conservation and education, The Freshwater Trust has developed a holistic and effective approach to freshwater restoration – because healthy rivers and streams mean healthy living for us all.