Mission & Vision

 

We honor the native people who have called this region home for thousands of years. 
We join them in stewardship of our rivers for the next seven generations. 

 

mission

The Deschutes River Conservancy is dedicated to restoring streamflow and improving water quality in the Deschutes River Basin.

Founded in 1996 as a collaborative, multi-stakeholder organization, the DRC's Board of Directors makes decisions by consensus and is comprised of key public and private interests including farming, ranching, timber, development, hydro-power, recreation, tribes, and environment.

The staff and board of the Deschutes River Conservancy embrace the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. A healthy environment and healthy inclusive communities are deeply interconnected — we cannot have one without the other.​​

Vision

By the year 2025, we envision a future where:

  • Local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have executed and are implementing a regional water management agreement that balances water for irrigators, municipalities and rivers
  • Stream flows are well on their way to meeting targets
  • Instream, riparian, and floodplain habitat enhancements are in full scale implementation, enabled by and complementing flow restoration
  • Trust among basin stakeholders is high. The DRC Board is respected and highly functional
  • Citizens are knowledgeable of and are champions of the DRC’s flow restoration strategies.

Values

  • Open. Value and seek out diverse perspectives.
  • Consensus-based. Work to overcome differences and make consensus decisions.
  • Collaborative. Deploy cooperative, non-regulatory approaches. Committed to helping all parties achieve their respective goals.
  • Innovative. Proactively seek new approaches for solving old problems.
  • Non-litigious. Do not engage in litigation.
  • Adaptive. Adapts and refines goals and strategies based on evolving information and opportunities.
  • Partnership-based. Leverage partners’ strengths to complement flow restoration with the physical habitat restoration and land conservation necessary to achieve watershed-scale outcomes.
  • Equitable. We live the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Vision

By the year 2025, we envision a future where:

  • Local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have executed and are implementing a regional water management agreement that balances water for irrigators, municipalities and rivers
  • Stream flows are well on their way to meeting targets
  • Instream, riparian, and floodplain habitat enhancements are in full scale implementation, enabled by and complementing flow restoration
  • Trust among basin stakeholders is high. The DRC Board is respected and highly functional
  • Citizens are knowledgeable of and are champions of the DRC’s flow restoration strategies.

Values

  • Open. Value and seek out diverse perspectives.
  • Consensus-based. Work to overcome differences and make consensus decisions.
  • Collaborative. Deploy cooperative, non-regulatory approaches. Committed to helping all parties achieve their respective goals.
  • Innovative. Proactively seek new approaches for solving old problems.
  • Non-litigious. Do not engage in litigation.
  • Adaptive. Adapts and refines goals and strategies based on evolving information and opportunities.
  • Partnership-based. Leverage partners’ strengths to complement flow restoration with the physical habitat restoration and land conservation necessary to achieve watershed-scale outcomes.
  • Equitable. We live the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.