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Healing souls, nurturing diverse conservation leaders.
How a Portland veteran harnesses the power of the Willamette and other rivers to teach young people about life and leadership. »
Restoring the watershed, one sapling at a time.
Meet Abraham Franco, a veteran restoration worker who has planted millions of trees in Oregon's woodlands and watersheds. »
Finding common ground in the water that sustains us.
Learn how a partnership with Mexico's Río Laja watershed has inspired new efforts to connect people with their watersheds. »
The Willamette Valley is home to most of Oregon's population and unique species of wildlife.
Find out why Meyer Memorial Trust chose the Willamette »
Featured River Story
Meet the elder statesman of the Willamette Basin planting community
Abraham Franco has been restoring floodplain forests for so long, he frequently finds himself walking under the shade of forests he planted as twigs.
A veteran worker in Oregon's reforestation industry, Franco has planted millions of trees in our woods and wetlands. Learn how his career took him from Cascade timberlands to the Willamette Valley, where he turns barren streamsides into lush habitats.
Blog
As the Willamette River Initiative enters its final year, we’re developing a strategy to continue supporting river health in the Willamette Basin.
It takes transformative leadership to be a true hero of the river restoration field. As a business owner who makes his living restoring native Willamette Basin habitats, Rosario Franco is quite literally transforming this important watershed, tree-by-tree and acre-by-acre. The Willamette River Initiative is proud to have presented Rosario with the River Hero award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the effort for a healthier Willamette