Community Invited to Help Shape the Future of Siuslaw Watershed Council

Siuslaw Watershed Council (SWC) is inviting community members to participate in its strategic planning process to help shape the organization’s direction for the next five years.

Strategic planning is a critical opportunity for SWC to reflect on what is working well, identify emerging challenges, and clarify priorities for the future. Community input will play a central role in ensuring the plan reflects shared values, responds to community needs within its scope, and positions the organization to make the greatest possible impact. “We believe our strongest plans are built in partnership with the community” said Tim Moffett, Executive Director of SWC. “This process is about listening and learning from lived experience and diverse perspectives about how we can work together to steward the lands and waters of the Siuslaw and Coastal Lakes to benefit our communities, economy, and future generations.”

Community members are invited to participate through an in-person focus group from 11:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday, March 14 in Mapleton, or a virtual focus group on Thursday, March 19, 5:00pm-7:00pm. Feedback gathered during this engagement phase will directly inform the priorities outlined in the organization’s strategic plan. Participation is open to anyone who cares about the Siuslaw Watershed and SWC’s mission, including program participants, partners, volunteers, donors, neighbors, and community members. Those interested in sharing their input can learn more and find participation opportunities at siuslaw.org/events.

The finalized strategic plan is expected to be adopted by the end of 2026 and will guide SWC’s work through 2031. For more information, please visit siuslaw.org or contact Tim Moffett, Executive Director, at 541-268-3044.

About Siuslaw Watershed Council:

The Siuslaw Watershed Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, protection and stewardship of the Siuslaw Watershed. For nearly 30 years, since 1997, the Council has worked with a diverse group of landowners, stakeholders, partners, industries, and agencies to improve and protect our watershed.

What exactly is a Watershed? A watershed is the area of land where all precipitation drains to a common water body, such as a river or lake. Watersheds are not made only of water, but also of land, and what we do on that land affects our lakes and streams.

The Siuslaw Watershed Council is concerned not only about land and water, but about our community too. We help landowners fund and carry out conservation and restoration efforts on their land. We form partnerships with industries, government agencies, and organizations to conduct vital research and restoration efforts to improve watershed health, including water quality and native fish populations through informed collaborative decision-making processes. We also provide educational opportunities for the community and serve as a valuable informative and referral resource.

Our Council, like many, formed largely to collaborate across jurisdictional lines in standard natural resource management and to bring together disciplines to a consensus-based watershed-scale approach to management. A watershed-based approach brings together a multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional partnership to address problems we face together. Without a watershed-based approach, restoration, conservation, and salmon recovery is nearly impossible. In Oregon, emphasis has been placed on councils to lead voluntary efforts toward salmon recovery under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds.