The Forest Park Conservancy (FPC) and West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (WMSWCD) have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (or MOU) to work collaboratively in the long-term protection and conservation of private properties in the Greater Forest Park Ecosystem.
WMSWCD is a publicly funded special district conservation organization that helps residents of Multnomah County west of the Willamette River, all of Sauvie Island, and the Bonny Slope region of the Tualatin Mountain Range in Washington County. The district’s mission is to provide resources, information, and expertise to inspire people to improve air and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil health.
With this MOU, our organizations have agreed to a framework of cooperation and coordination for joint planning, assessment, implementation, and resource sharing associated with the long-term protection and conservation of private lands through conservation easements and other types of land access agreements.
This collaboration is highly beneficial for both organizations, as it allows FPC to rely on WMSWCD’s ecological expertise and existing relationships with landowners in the area to support FPC’s Private Lands Conservation Program. By encumbering the properties with conservation easements held by FPC, WMSWCD can ensure that their work in developing and implementing conservation plans for those properties is secured for the long term.
This agreement results from a long-term relationship between the two organizations and is on the heels of our collaboration in securing a conservation easement on a 60-acre parcel on the north Tualatin Hills on 2021. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to better protect and care for the Greater Forest Park Ecosystem.
If you want to learn more about our work with WMSWCD or our Private Lands Conservation Program, contact Alejandro Orizola, FPC‘s Conservation Director, at Alejandro@forestparkconservancy.org or by calling (503)223-4449 Ext. 108