Conservation Easement Holders

The Portland Harbor Natural Resources Trustee Council (Trustee Council) is requiring long-term stewardship and permanent protection at all Portland Harbor habitat restoration projects. The Trustee Council requires that each project site be permanently protected prior to the end of a 10-year performance period of active monitoring and maintenance. The Trustee Council has expressed a strong preference for conservation easements held by local entities as the preferred land protection mechanism for these sites. We anticipate that different restoration projects may have conservation easements held by different organizations. 

In order to develop partnerships between conservation easement holders and the Trustee Council, and to facilitate the permanent land protection of Portland Harbor habitat restoration projects, the Trustee Council requested information from organizations interested in potentially holding conservation easements on these projects. The request for qualifications and the Trustee Council's review of submitted information did not lead to a selection or award, nor does this announcement commit the Trustee Council or any Trustee to make any selection or award. 

The Easement Holder shall be an organization qualified under ORS 271.715 (3) to hold a conservation easement;

• A commitment to protecting the restoration project in perpetuity;
• Willingness to work collaboratively with the Trustee Council, project implementers, landowners, long-term stewards, and other partners;
• The entity should be skilled in, have experience with and knowledge of:
  1. Management of urban riverine, wetland, and upland habitat in the Lower Willamette River;
  2. The challenges of protecting conservation values on urban restoration project sites;
  3. Regulatory compliance; 
  4. Previous experience holding conservation easements;
  5. Previous experience with or knowledge of handling enforcement issues on sites protected by conservation easements;
  6. Financial reporting and billing to a non-wasting endowment, trust, or other longterm fund;
• Pertinent staff located within the Portland-metro area.

Based on the information received, the Trustee Council has identified the following organizations as having the interest, experience and expertise to hold conservation easements for Portland Harbor restoration projects at this time:

• Columbia Land Trust
• The Wetlands Conservancy
• City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services