| Mission and Goals Programs Staff and Board of Directors Membership How to get involved Contact Us History Foundation Supporters |
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Umpqua Watersheds, Inc., is dedicated to the protection and restoration of the ecosystems of the Umpqua watershed and beyond.
Click here to learn more about the places we protect.
Our Purpose:
To monitor the activities of the federal, state and local agencies charged with the responsibility of managing forest and other land within the Umpqua watershed and neighboring regions.
To advocate a sound stewardship ethic that sustains biodiversity and restores damaged lands and waterways.
To improve communication with public agencies, private landowners and industry.
To educate the public in the interest of informed consent and public participation in decision making.
To coordinate education, research and outreach projects, by serving as a source of information on conservation issues.
To provide leadership, motivation and empowerment to grassroots conservationists.
Programs
Umpqua Watersheds' Conservation Program mission is to advocate for protection and restoration of public forest lands and watersheds within the Umpqua, Coos and Coquille watersheds and the Northwest Forest Plan region, i.e., Washington, Oregon & Northern California. The goals of the program are to modify, halt or improve land management, forest and watershed practices within the watersheds listed above. Program work includes: monitoring federal and other public land projects, providing feedback to the public agencies, educating the public about management of their lands, and partnering in legal advocacy where necessary. We work with the Umpqua National Forest, Roseburg BLM, Coos Bay BLM, and the Oregon Department of Forestry (Elliott State Forest). This program is directed by Francis Eatherington.
The Community Outreach Program mission is to "Connect People to Places" and build relationships, awareness, understanding and respect for the resources of the Umpqua River basin. The goals of the program are to educate the public to protect the Umpqua River through action, to build and maintain community relationships, contribute to a sustainable outreach program and to provide a safe arena for conservation voices. Program activities are: Outdoor Education Project, Community Connection Campaign, Team ROOTS Volunteer Opportunity, and Organizational Rewards and Development.
This program is responsible for most of what you see of Umpqua Watersheds: the hikes, concerts, dances, and annual River Day and our banquet. You can learn about these activities on our events page.
Special Campaigns
Our special campaigns include: Roadless Conservation Plan, Oregon Wild Forest Campaign, Northwest Forest Campaign, Old Growth and Mature Forest Protection Campaign, Partnership for Fish, Wildlife and Communities. Umpqua Watersheds, with local, regional and national partners, advocate for protection of the natural treasures of the Northwest through education, policy defense and development, litigation, celebration, organization and communication. See partners.
Francis Eatherington, Conservation Program Director
Francis has lived and worked in the forests of the Pacific Northwest for over 30 years, doing everything from planting trees and cone collection to timber stand exams and monitoring timber sales. She started working with Hoedads, Inc. in 1979 (a tree-planting cooperative). Later, she and a group of friends started a forest contracting partnership called Three Sisters Forestry, working on Forest Service contracts doing technical forestry surveys and research. In 1995, she began to volunteer for Umpqua Watersheds, Inc. In 1997, she became their first paid employee, bringing the projects of our public land to the people for a broader perspective on managing our forests. Francis was the recipient of the Umpqua Valley Audubon Society's Community Award in 2006.
Seth Kirby, Outreach Coordinator
Seth grew up in Keller, Texas located outside Ft. Worth. He often spent time outdoors hiking, camping, and backpacking with his family or the local Boy Scouts. He took this passion with him to Austin where he attended the University of Texas spending much of his free time exploring the Texas hill country and the southwestern United States. Soon after graduating Seth and his family moved to the "golden land" of Oregon to live in the hills of the Umpqua. He began working in this area through the AmeriCorps VISTA program and became involved with many area organizations. Seth is very excited to be working to protect the natural areas of the northwest and the Umpqua in particular.
Umpqua Watersheds' Board of Directors, 2008The Board of Directors of Umpqua Watersheds is comprised of residents of the Umpqua Basin who are dedicated to maintaining a healthy and productive environment. Among our past and present board members are forest management professionals, forestry technicians, health care professionals, small business owners, and educators. Together, we own and/or manage over one thousand acres of timberland. One or more of us have been involved in almost every phase of forest management from theoretical landscape analysis and planning, to setting chokers in the brush. We build recreational trails, fall and mill timber, and sit on a number of community committees and councils. We are the voice of the voiceless in our forests and streams. Umpqua Watersheds board members receive no pay for long hours spent on behalf of the voiceless.
Our newsletter, 100 Valleys, is published four times per year. In addition to articles on environmental issues, this publication spotlights local conservationists and informs of hikes and events sponsored by both Umpqua Watersheds and similar organizations.
Becoming a member of Umpqua Watersheds automatically subscribes you to our newsletter.
If you would like to receive a copy of our newsletter, please contact the office at uw@umpqua-watersheds.org.
For as little as $15 per year, you will receive updates about the organization and our campaigns as well as our quarterly newsletter, 100 Valleys. For $25 per year, you can receive an Umpqua Watersheds t-shirt. However, the real reward lies in knowing that your dollars go towards issues and an organization that you really care about.
Our mailing list is strictly confidential and will not be shared with any other organization. Silent/anonymous membership is also available.
You can sign up for a membership electronically by clicking on our
button.
Volunteer!
Every event that Umpqua Watersheds hosts has ample opportunity for volunteers. We can always use ushers at concerts, folks to person our booth at events such as the Douglas County Energy Fair, or able-bodied laborers to set up our River Appreciation Day stage. If volunteering sounds appealing to you, contact Seth Kirby, and he will set you up with a job that will be both right for you and us.
In addition to events help, we would love office volunteers to work alongside the staff. Each season, we host a newsletter folding party (shown at left) that prepares the newsletter for distribution. Are you interested in writing? If so, you could contribute to our quarterly newsletter. Perhaps working in the outdoors is more your forte? Help us lead a hike! Each year, Umpqua Watersheds hosts dozens of hikes, and they are both educational and beautiful.
Our volunteers do not go unawarded! Each year at our Annual Banquet, notable volunteers are given awards to show our appreciation and gratitude. Additionally, newsletter folding volunteers are fed pizza and soft drinks.
Email us to receive online alerts
This is quite possibly the easiest way to stay in touch, provided you have an email address. Simply send an email to the above link with the subject line "List-serve" and on a bi-weekly basis you will receive:
Notification of upcoming events, hikes, and volunteer opportunities
Updates on current conservation issues and news stories
Information about ways to take action on items of importance to life in the Umpqua River Basin.Become a Member!
Donate! Click Here to Donate Online --->
Please support our efforts to protect the few remaining wild places in Oregon with a donation to Umpqua Watersheds. If you would like to send us a tax-deductible donation, our address is:
Umpqua Watersheds, Inc.
PO Box 101
Roseburg, OR 97470Center for Conservation Support
Are you in the market for sustainable paper, cleaning, and living supplies? Mention Umpqua Watersheds when you order and 10% of the profits will be donated to us. You can call Scott Burgwin at 541-942-8365 or email him at thegoodsinoregon@msn.com. For a catalogue, visit the Umpqua Watersheds office.
We are always grateful and happy to receive any comments or questions. Our staff is qualified and friendly, and we assure you your questions will not go unanswered.
You can get in contact with us four ways:
E-mail: Betsy Dean, Francis Eatherington, Deborah Michel or Seth Kirby.
Conventional mail: Since everyone loves a letter, we've kept our mailing address.
Umpqua Watersheds
PO Box 101
Roseburg, OR 97470PHONE: 541-672-7065
FAX: 541-672-7652PHYSICAL LOCATION: Feel free to visit during business hours, we would love to meet you. There is always tea on hand. We are located in downtown Roseburg. Here is a map for your convenience.
Umpqua Watersheds
539 SE Main St.
Roseburg, OR 97470
Umpqua Watersheds was first formed in 1986 and has been doing citizen monitoring of public forest projects since that time. This was done with volunteer “free-time” efforts until 1997. In 1995, Umpqua Watersheds became an official 501c3 non-profit organization. With the help of W. Alton Jones Foundation and the Brainerd Foundation-- Umpqua Watersheds was able to employ a full time forest monitor.
The Umpqua Watersheds staff and volunteer Board of Directors have been actively involved in building the foundation of this grassroots organization for many years. Currently, the staff and board represent the organization’s mission in their everyday life, as well as officially in public agency and conservation partnerships.
The Conservation Program monioring work has resulted in the modification or halting of destructive logging and other projects in our watershed. The tactics that Umpqua Watersheds employs to reach our protection and restoration goals are: public comments, appeals, protests, litigation, education, campaigns, collaboration, negotiation, media, and strategic plan development.
The Community Outreach Program was developed in 1997 from ForestWater Alliance funds. Today we continue this valuable program from memberships, donations, event revenue and grant funds. The outreach program sponsored its first annual banquet in February 1997, opened its downtown office in May of 1997, published its first quarterly newsletter in December 1997, and designed, constructed and displayed its educational outreach booth for community activities in 1998. These activities were done with a ten-hour per week paid staff person and numerous volunteers. In 1999, the outreach position was increased to twenty hours a week. Due to Umpqua Watersheds growth and the community’s demand for more outreach activities, we have increased the position hours and added campaigns to its responsibilities. The constant visibility of the organization and community awareness of the issues that Umpqua Watersheds is working on have been easy to measure since this program began. In 2005, the Outreach program founder retired and we hired a new staff person to fulfill the program’s activities. Volunteers continue to contribute hours and in-kind resources to fulfill support staff needs.
As of 2006, 600 hundred households support Umpqua Watersheds. Paid membership, both individual and business, has grown since 1996.
In 1999, Umpqua Watersheds hired an executive director to manage the rapid growth and development of the organization and its partnerships throughout the northwest and the nation. Umpqua Watersheds moved into a larger office in 2005 and celebrated its 10th anniversary banquet in 2006.
Umpqua Watersheds' growth has resulted in increased public input for forest and watershed management problems and solutions. This increased visibility has also produced a greater understanding within the community of what it means to be a conservationist. This is not to say that those in the public eye are without risk for speaking out. Threatening incidents are less common but still a concern. What it does demonstrate is that the brave vocal position of Umpqua Watersheds in the community gives others the avenue they need to speak out.
The pressures brought on by the timber industry to deforest this old growth region and to encroach into unprotected roadless areas have been significant. The decline of salmon, the Northern Spotted Owl and the Marbled Murrelet have been unprecedented. This climate has motivated Umpqua Watersheds to continue to take the next step required to reach for its goals of protection and restoration of watersheds in the Umpqua River basin and beyond. By the hard work of so many from the past, present and those to come in the future, UW is now a living organization with the ability to survive and benefit our region.
Along with membership supporters, the following are foundations that have supported Umpqua Watersheds.
444S Foundation
Ancient Forest Defense Fund
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
Biodiversity Northwest
Brainerd Foundation
Camp Tyee Foundation
The Charlotte Martin Foundation
Evergreen Hill Fund
Fund For Wild Nature
Forest Water Alliance
Hoedad Foundation
Jeff Allen Conservation Fund
The Lazar Foundation
Maude T. Kernan Fund
McKenzie River Gathering Foundation
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
Oregon Community Foundation
Patagonia
TEAM Foundation
The Ralph L. Smith Foundation
Training Resources for the Environmental Community
Unified Forest Defense Campaign
Wilburforce Foundation
The Wilderness Society
W. Alton Jones Foundation
William. C. Kenney Watersheds Protection Foundation
