Laird Norton Family Foundation, Seattle, WA
  • Home
  • Programs
    • Arts In Education
    • Climate Change
    • Human Services
    • Sapling Fund
    • Watershed Stewardship
  • How we work
  • About
  • Home
  • Programs
    • Arts In Education
    • Climate Change
    • Human Services
    • Sapling Fund
    • Watershed Stewardship
  • How we work
  • About
Picture

Watershed Stewardship

Goals and Strategies

Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family.

Approach

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​
We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

Guidelines

Priority will be given to watersheds of significance to the Laird Norton family, where the work:
  • Is well-grounded in science.
  • Incorporates adaptive management (trying something out, testing the assumptions, adjusting as needed), ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and fosters strong community engagement in place; as there is clear evidence that the presence of these elements significantly increases long-term success toward ecological goals.
  • Is already in progress (or there interest is already in place) to prioritize actions throughout the watershed, and a degree of coordination amongst implementing organizations representing diverse interests.
While we don’t specifically commit to a set term of investment in any watershed, we believe that investing in a place long enough to really understand the work is important, and we believe that sustained and flexible funding enables greater long-term success for our partners. Although we make grants on a one-year cycle, we take a partnership approach to our grantmaking and hold a long-term view on the work being done in the watersheds we prioritize, but we do move on when we no longer have a necessary role to play.

2021 Watershed Stewardship Grants

Last year the Watershed Stewardship Fund Advisory Committee (FAC) made grants totaling $365,000 to organizations listed below.
center for Diversity and the Environment (CDE)
Center for Diversity and the Environment (CDE)  
(Portland, OR) 
​For general operating support. CDE’s mission is to harness the power of racial and ethnic diversity to transform the US environmental movement by developing leaders, catalyzing change within institutions, and building alliances. CDE envisions a healthy, flourishing planet and society that sustainably and equitably meets the needs of all through an environmental movement that is diverse, inclusive,  successful, vibrant, and relevant, taking into account the needs, perspectives, and voices of all.
Honor The Earth
Honor the Earth (Callaway, MN) 
For general operating support. Honor the Earth's mission 
is to create awareness and support for Native environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native communities. Honor the Earth develops these resources by using music, the arts, the media, and Indigenous wisdom to ask people to recognize our joint dependency on the Earth and be a voice for those not heard.
KINNICKINNIC RIVER LAND TRUST
Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (River Falls, WI) 
​For general operating support. Previous LNFF grants have focused on continued integration of climate change planning into KRLT's conservation prioritization tool as well as community forest work. KRLT's mission is to work with the community to conserve and protect the beauty and health of the Kinnickinnic River and its watershed.
LONG LIVE THE KINGS
Long Live the Kings (Seattle, WA)
For general operating support. Long Live the Kings' mission is to restore wild salmon and steelhead and support sustainable fishing in the Pacific Northwest. Previous LNFF grants supported the Hood Canal Bridge Ecosystem Impact Assessment Plan and salmon recovery efforts in Hood Canal, Puget Sound, and the greater Salish Sea. ​Since its founding in 1986, LTTK has combined innovative field work, pioneering science, broad partnerships, and sophisticated new management tools to help decision-makers advance salmon recovery while balancing the needs of fish and people. 
MINNESOTA LAND TRUST
Minnesota Land Trust (St. Paul, MN)
To support the Trust's work in SE Minnesota, the most biodiverse area of the state with an array of ecological systems, important habitat, and recreational benefits. The Minnesota Land Trust protects and restores Minnesota’s most vital natural lands in order to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences and scenic beauty for generations to come.
MOUNTAINS TO SOUND GREENWAY TRUST
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (Seattle, WA) 
​
To support partnership-building and community engagement with partners in the region to collectively implement restoration in the Bear Creek Watershed, within the larger ecological restoration strategy of the region. MTSG’s mission is to lead and inspire action to conserve and enhance the landscape from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington, ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature.
OCCIDENTAL ARTS & ECOLOGY CENTER
Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (Occidental, CA) 
To support the Bring Back the Beaver campaign in California's mountain meadow and coastal watersheds. OAEC cultivates ecological literacy and builds the capacity of civic and social movement leaders and organizations to guide their own communities to an ecologically regenerative, economically viable, and socially just future.​
Pacific Institute
Pacific Institute (Oakland, CA)
​For general operating support. The Pacific Institute creates and advances solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. Their vision is to create a world in which society, the economy, and the environment have the water they need to thrive now and in the future.​​
ROGUE River Watershed Council
Rogue River Watershed Council (Central Point, OR) 
​To support the Bear Creek Restoration Initiative in southern Oregon. RRWC's mission is to steward the Rogue River watershed through restoration, education, and community involvement. They work to restore instream and streamside habitat, improve water quality, and encourage community members to become stewards of the river and its tributaries.​​
TROUT UNLIMITED GREAT LAKES RESTORATION
Trout Unlimited Great Lakes Restoration
(Arlington, VA)
To support ​​a pilot project to treat invasive Eurasian milfoil in Upper Midwest lakes. Trout Unlimited brings together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.
Truckee River Watershed Council
Truckee River Watershed Council (Truckee, CA) 
For general operating support. TRWC protects and restores the water quality and biological resources of the watershed; they serve as conveners, coordinators, and implementation leaders for restoration projects directly related to the health, beauty, and economy of the watershed. The Council believes that a more sustainable tomorrow starts with the watershed. Their goal is to restore the resiliency of our environment—so nature and humanity can thrive together for generations.
VALLEY STEWARDSHIP NETWORK
Valley Stewardship Network (Viroqua, WI)
For general operating support. Valley Stewardship Network works to protect land and waters in the Kickapoo watershed through research, education, and community empowerment. ​
WATER FOUNDATION FOR THE NORTHWEST TRIBAL SALMON ALLIANCE
Water Foundation (Sacramento, CA)
To support Northwest Tribal Salmon Alliance and their work to restore salmon runs in the Snake River. Key to this success is the expertise, commitment, and approval of impacted native tribes; funding supports this native-led group to serve as a dedicated voice for tribal leaders and to provide capacity and assist in coordinating their joint efforts. The Water Foundation’s mission is to support lasting water solutions for communities, economies, and the environment. ​

Laird Norton Family Foundation * 801 Second Avenue, 17th Floor * Seattle, WA 98104
Copyright © 2018