A new report by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy argues that “…we can secure more environmental wins by decreasing reliance on top-down funding strategies and increasing funding for grassroots communities that are directly impacted by environmental harms and have the passion and perseverance to mobilize and demand change.” That’s why we are asking you to rethink your charitable giving and to “give local” to your highly effective friends and neighbors at Umpqua Watersheds. Here are some examples of the important work we are doing to “protect the best and restore the rest”:

Mike Rooney, our dynamic young VISTA member, is moving forward with new Education Committee initiatives to partner with UCC, area schools, Umpqua Valley Audubon Society, the BLM and the Forest Service to develop programs for inspiring kids to learn about the natural world. UW’s Restoration Committee is working on projects to apply our newly developed set of restoration principles to public and private land. And our Wild on Wilderness Committee’s campaign to bring wilderness protections to Crater Lake National Park and surrounding roadless areas is in full swing.

Our Conservation Committee continues to fight the degradation of the ecosystems upon which we depend. As if destructive logging practices and the proposed LNG pipeline and Coos Bay coal terminal weren’t bad enough, we have a new threat that has re-surfaced to our watershed: Gold! A new moratorium on destructive dredging and high bank mining in California has unleashed a flood of miners to the North and South Umpqua Rivers in search of new mining claims. We now must fight this alarming new threat too!

But in order to keep our shoulders to the wheel, we need your help. It’s no secret that the foundations that have traditionally supported non-profits in America have pulled back on their support. Although we continue to have small successes on grants to help fund our programs, we are competing with more organizations for a much smaller pie. Our committed volunteers always amaze us with their willingness to pitch in, and our highly professional staff members, Executive Director Randy Rasmussen and Office Manager Chris Roe, watch every penny we spend on office overhead. Our Annual Banquet, River Appreciation Day and the Umpqua Brew Fest continue to grow in popularity and revenue. But the simple fact is that we must rely more on our loyal local supporters to keep our office doors open and to pay our staff a living wage.

We ask you to please consider joining us as a yearly Major Donor, so that together we can respond to the momentous opportunities and challenges in the “100 Valleys of the Umpqua”. Your donation of $250 at the Partner level; $500 at the Steward level; or $1,000 (or more if possible) at the Defender level, will help to ensure the future of our watershed. We appreciate your support of UW in the past and would like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance, for your donation in support of our collective future!