West Willamette Watersheds (W3) Collaboration

Introducing the West Willamette Watersheds (W3) Collaboration

Dear Tryon Creek Watershed Council Community,

We’re excited to share news of a new and growing initiative aimed at strengthening watershed health and habitat resilience on the west side of the Willamette River. In partnership with our neighbors at the Oswego Lake Watershed Council, Tryon Creek Watershed Council is helping to lead a regional conversation about how we can collaborate more effectively to support communities, wildlife, and waterways throughout this vital corridor.

The West Willamette Watersheds (W3) Collaboration is a shared effort to expand the reach and impact of watershed-based planning, stewardship, and resource access across an area where gaps in coverage currently exist. This stretch of the Willamette River and its tributaries is a critical migratory corridor for native fish such as salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey. Yet, urbanization, warming waters, and fragmented planning limit our ability to protect and restore these habitats at the scale they need. 

Currently, some westside neighborhoods and tributaries are not served by any Watershed Council, which means fewer resources and support for restoration, planning, and community engagement. By exploring new models of collaboration—whether through a merger, a formal network, or other shared strategies—we hope to build a stronger, more connected support system for local watershed health. 

This effort is grounded in core values: a shared calling to support our watersheds, climate resilience, science-based adaptive management, Indigenous leadership and priorities, and long-term care of the land and water. Our collective vision is to bring together a coalition of partners, neighbors, and communities ready to take action—across city and county lines—to improve the ecological well-being of the West Willamette region. 

Specifically, we are looking at tributaries leading into the main stem of the Willamette River beginning in Forest Park, Northwest and Southwest Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn, and Wilsonville (north and south of the Tualatin River watershed confluence), where there is no Watershed Council coverage except for the Tryon Creek and Oswego Lake watersheds. 

We invite you to join us in shaping the future of this work. To learn more, share your input, or get involved, please fill out this Google Form. 

Together, we can create a healthier future for the Willamette, its tributaries, and all who depend on them.

In partnership,
Megan Hill
Tryon Creek Watershed Council Board Member