The Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation founded by the Environmental Defense Fund, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and local irrigation districts in 1996. Over the course of the past eleven years, we have built a strong foundation for collaborative work in the Deschutes Basin.

The DRC's mission is to restore streamflow and improve water quality in the Deschutes Basin. Our objectives are to meet or exceed state water quality standards and to restore the natural hydrograph to the extent environmentally, socially and economically feasible in the Deschutes River and its tributaries.

The DRC's founders recognized that the Deschutes Basin was one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the Pacific Northwest. Rapid population growth had increased demands for water in the region and set the stage for conflicts between agricultural, urban, and environmental interests.  Today, the DRC is a nationally recognized leader in river restoration and we have set the bar for achieving results through collaboration.

The Deschutes River Conservancy is the first non-profit corporation to bring together state, federal, tribal and local government representatives with private stakeholders to carry out basin-wide ecosystem restoration in Central Oregon.

The DRC was specifically designed to use collaborative, market-based approaches to restoration.  Our board of directors represents all major stakeholders in the basin, including nine representatives from private interests and ten from public interests.

Congress authorized federal appropriations of $1 million per year for the first five years on a 50/50 cost share basis to help start the DRC. Funds were first appropriated in 1999 ($500,000), and 2000 ($500,000). In 2000, Congress reauthorized federal appropriations at $2 million per year, to the DRC for another 5 years from 2002-2006, and appropriated $1,000,000.

The DRC no longer receives federal appropriations.  Instead, we receive funds through tax exempt donations from individuals, businesses, and corporations, including philanthropic foundations, and from government agencies.