2014 Annual Report 2014 Annual Report 1 Mission: To preserve and restore our freshwater ecosystems Vision: To increase the pace and scale of restoration Avalanche Creek in Glacier National Park. BY JENNIFER GRECO; FRONT COVER PHOTO BY SEAN O’CONNOR / FREESOLO COLLECTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Co-Chairs Marty Myers Table of Contents Pat Reiten Will Neuhauser Scott Sandbo Janet Neuman Tim O’Leary Hank Ashforth Michael Pohl Hunter Brown 2 Habitat & Flow 3 Technology & Policy Brad Preble David Chen Brian Rice Scott Demorest Steve Shropshire Peter Doubleday Anthony L. Trunzo Gary Fish Margaret Tuchmann Paul T. Fortino David Laurance emeritus 4–5 Communications 6–9 Financial Report Lynn Loacker Tim Boyle Mark Long Randy Labbe & Development Donors Dear Friends, From keeping our rivers full and flowing to protecting valuable ecosystems, we understand that the impact we have originates with our generous donors. In 2014, we continued to make progress on the ground while building momentum for quantified conservation. Over the past 12 months, we worked with an array of stakeholders to do more restoration projects, plant more native trees, secure more water HEIDI HOFFMAN PHOTOGRAPHY in streams, and share our ideas widely. But we don’t buy into the simple notion that more is better. For us, better is better. That’s why we continue to quantify our actions using the most rigorous standards, cutting-edge tools, and methods that really work. With your help, we’re ensuring that every action we take is making a difference for our freshwater resources, our wildlife species and our communities. Thank you for lending us your strength and confidence to move beyond traditional tactics and pursue innovations that match the scale of the problems ahead of us. We’ve done some great things together, and I hope you’ll see the impact you have had in the pages that follow. If you read closely, you’ll find not only milestones achieved but the building blocks for great things to come. Yours in conservation, Joe S. Whitworth President Staff along the Willamette River in Portland, OR. 2014 Annual Report 1 87 million gallons of water restored per day As ongoing drought fuels competition for scarce freshwater resources, incentive-based water transactions have gained traction throughout Oregon. Our work in 2014 brought our cumulative flow restored to rivers and streams to 134 cubic feet per second — more than 87 million gallons of water per day. For Fifteenmile Creek, we continued to improve stream conditions through the innovative Fifteenmile Action Plan to Stabilize Temperature (FAST). This is a cooperative initiative that informs irrigators of forecasted lethal stream temperatures so that they can proactively curtail diversions. We also celebrated Signed 22 new flow restoration 10 years of keeping 15 cubic feet per second of flow contracts with landowners in the Lostine River during Chinook salmon spawning throughout Oregon migration and continued our partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe to monitor fish response to restored flows. And in the John Day Basin, we signed new Generous funding for flow restoration provided by NFWF’s water leases with multiple landowners on Reynolds Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program Creek, increasing flows to the mouth of this critical tributary to the John Day River. Native fish habitat increased at 36 project sites More than 20 percent of the 10,000 known flowing into the Sandy. Through side channel freshwater fish species have become extinct or reconnection and placement of large wood and imperiled in just the past few decades. Having begun boulders, we’ve been able to dramatically improve as a group of fly fishermen, ensuring our rivers are the complexity and diversity of habitat for salmon. healthy enough to support thriving fish populations Each year, we chip away toward a long-term goal of is a critical part of The Freshwater Trust’s restoration revitalizing this basin as a place for fish to flourish. work. In 2014, we increased native fish habitat at 36 We also received a grant to restore 2.5 acres of project sites in Oregon and Idaho. streamside vegetation along the banks of Lone Pine Creek in Medford, Oregon. Shade provided by this Last year marked another of progress restoring vegetation will cool down the water and provide the Salmon River and Still Creek, two waterways more sustainable habitat. Planted 63,400 streamside trees and shrubs 2 2014 Annual Report Doubled the number of staff with GIS expertise New science and technology employed to fix rivers Ensuring a future with clean, flowing rivers will data collection of spawning beds for salmon and require accelerating the pace and scale of freshwater streamside vegetation were also added. We also restoration. Driven by the goal of fixing more continued developing StreamBank® BasinScout™, a rivers faster, we’ve developed and employed 21st watershed-level set of diagnostic tools that allows century tools and technologies to solve 21st century for remote surveying of large landscapes and freshwater problems. In 2014, our StreamBank® watersheds to identify sites where restoration would Monitoring App, a tablet-optimized app for collecting have the biggest impact. We successfully devised data in the field, was deployed to 14 pilot users. a methodology to determine the temperature and Two new features allowing for the monitoring and sediment benefits of conservation actions. Steps taken to advance water quality trading Finalized regional recommendations In 1991, we helped list one of the first Pacific salmon on water quality trading for the under the Endangered Species Act. More than two Pacific Northwest decades later, while our focus has shifted, policy work remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems. 2014 represented another year for advancing water quality trading, an innovative solution allowing regulated entities to Draft Regional Recommendations for the Pacic Northwest on Water Quality Trading meet compliance obligations by purchasing credits to offset their impacts. We co-prepared regional recommendations on water quality trading for the Pacific Northwest and participated in the first forum to support the adoption of an Oregon water quality trading rule. The rule is due to be adopted at the end of 2015. In addition, The Freshwater Trust served on Prepared By: Willamette Partnership two task forces implementing SB 839, a 2013 bill that The Freshwater Trust In Collaboration With: Idaho Department of Environmental Quality established a funding program designed to target Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Washington Department of Ecology Under the USDA Conservation Innovation Grant Award state investment in water supply projects that create Multi-State Agency GuidanceWillame fortt eWater Partnership, Quality November Trading: Joint 2012 Regional Water Quality Trading Agreement (69-3A75-12-255) economic, social and environmental benefits. 2014 Annual Report 3 12 episodes of new podcast released freshwater Talk podcast launched The way we consume entrepreneurs and innovators — all of whom information today is have provided engaging views on issues at the dramatically different intersection of finance, politics, technology and than even five years ago. the environment. This new narrative medium has In 2014, we responded to helped us creatively reach thousands across the this new world of media globe. At the time of this report’s printing, there and launched a podcast were more than 11,600 downloads, 12 episodes with President Joe Whitworth called freshwater launched on iTunes, Talk. Since its launch, we have interviewed a wide and listeners in Don’t forget to review your favorite episode on iTunes. array of thought leaders, scientists, adventurers, 76 countries. Fight for Fish hits 10-year milestone During the first week of April last year, The Freshwater Trust held its annual Fight for Fish $145,500 raised charity golf tournament at Bandon Dunes Golf during annual Resort along the rugged and breathtaking Oregon golf tournament coastline. For 10 years, we’ve hosted this one-of-a- kind, exclusive event to raise funds for freshwater conservation, and not a year goes by where we aren’t humbled by the generosity of its participants. In 2014, Fight for Fish raised $145,500. 4 2014 Annual Report 10 event sponsors and 25 table hosts 2016 annual gala & auction happening February 26th. $302,853 raised night of 31st annual gala in 2014 Three decades ago, we began hosting an annual gala and auction to support the continued preservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems and to celebrate with our donors another year of great work. Held at the Portland Art Museum, the 31st event went off without a hitch. Thanks to the hundreds of attendees and sponsors, we raised $302,853 and entered 2015 in a good place to make a difference for more freshwater resources. 2014 Annual Report 5 Thank you to every one of our donors. 2014 With your support, we are changing the course of conservation. Condensed Balance Sheet Corporate, Foundation, $10,000 – $24,999 Current Assets $5,106,003 Agency, Community Aquatic Contracting The Bobolink Foundation Long Term Investments $120,107 Organizations The Boeing Company Property, Equipment and Software $2,231,601 KeyBank $1,000,000 and above TOTAL ASSETS $7,457,711 National Fish and Wildlife Current Liabilities $401,237 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Foundation - Columbia Pacific Power Foundation Other Liabilities $4,022,500 Basin Water Transactions PacifiCorp Net Assets $3,033,974 Program/Bonneville