Willamette Riverkeeper

“Committees of the board:there were no committees with the authority to make decisions between board meetings.”

“The executive director reviews the final draft with the preparer. The final copy is sent to all board members before filing. If there are questions, the board meets to discuss them. If any changes are made the final 990 is sent to all board members before filing.”

“The conflict of interest policy covers board and staff members. The board and the executive committee review the policy annually. In the case of board members, the board reviews potential conflicts and determines if a conflict exists. In the case of staff, the executive director reviews potential conflicts and determines if a conflict exists.if someone is found to have a conflict, they don't vote on that particular item, or work on that particular issue.”

“Executive compensation:as part of the executive directors annual review and compensation determination, the board looks at the executive compensation of other organizations of similar size and budget within various river related groups, as well as the executive directors experience and value to the organization. The executive directors compensation is reviewed and approved by independent members of the board.”

“Requests for governing documents, the conflict of interest policy and financial statements are considered on a case-by-case basis.”

“Other program services 4: recreation events:the 2023 willamette river festival bookended our summer events schedule in eugene with a major celebration on the river, combining elements of indigenous culture, world music, paddling recreation, history and ecology of the greater willamette watershed. Hundreds of people enjoyed paddle demos, interactive art and educational displays featuring habitat restoration, hydrology, archeology, stormwater and water conservation, and indigenous historical and cultural activities, performances and artifacts. The festival opened this year with a paddle parade, while paddlecross participants endeavored to paddle upstream in the whilamut natural area canoe canal and race the rapids on the river back to alton baker park. The festival was funded through a partnership with the city of eugene, metropolitan wastewater management commission, and several business sponsors, including two local watershed councils.paddle oregon 2023 provided a peak summer paddling recreation experience for over 100 participants, spanning four days in august, and featured several riverside educational opportunities and camping areas utilizing both public and private properties and locally-sourced food and beverage providers to create a unique experience and promote a broader connection to the willamette river. Participants learned about mussels, water trail recreation amenities, floodplain development policies, riparian restoration and wrk's efforts to restore native wapato populations, an indigenous traditional food source of the willamette valley. Wrk's staff and volunteer safety team were also able to provide additional tips to help ensure a more enjoyable experience for those who needed some extra help with their skills. Participants completed a total of 72 miles of paddling at the end of the event. Wrk pinot paddle happended at the begining of summer with great success, engaging over 100 people on a 24 mile stretch of the willamette, and were able to enjoy farm to table locally-sourced foods and wines, produced in the willamette valley, with stops during the day on various key habitat areas, and an overnight at oregon state parks' grand island site. Wrk also conducted four discovery paddles - educational guided day trips on the willamette river, engaging over 120 participants in river recreation opportunities. These paddle trips provide an important inclusive component getting more people connected to the river and enjoying paddling recreation by covering costs that include food, supplies, canoes and other paddling equipment and safety gear, and are led by qualified staff and volunteers. This year's trips included: - wrk took a large group of paddlers on a tour of ross island by canoe and kayak to discuss the island's past, and future.in tandem with this, wrk recently called on the island to come into public ownership. - greenway paddle from salem to wheatland ferry, including an educational lunch program provided in partnership with oregon state parks. - two trips from peoria to corvallis, were conducted in partnership with participants in the eugene mission life change program - a substance abuse recovery program, and wrk's river guardians volunteers, as a thank you for the support over the course of the year to conduct river cleanups. Other program services 5: legal & legislative advocacy:the 2023 session of the oregon legislature saw some of the harshest challenges to our land use system and environmental protections in recent history. Wrk testified to defend the city of portland's green roof code against efforts to erode its impact. In doing this, we stopped a poorly construed proposal.wrk, cascadia wildlands, and oregon wild recently sued the us bureau of land management for their lack of adequate assessment regarding a proposed timber sale affecting thousands of acres near eugene. Blm has since paused this project to conduct a more through environmental assessment.wrk sent numerous alerts requesting help from ou”