Oak Creek Watershed Council

What Oak Creek Watershed Council does

Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Sedona, Arizona, dedicated to preserving the health and integrity of Oak Creek, a 50-mile perennial spring-fed stream flowing from Oak Creek Canyon through Sedona, Page Springs, and Cornville to its confluence with the Verde River. Originally organized in 1994 by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality as the Oak Creek Canyon Task Force, the organization formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2003 and rebranded under its current name. Its operational footprint covers a watershed of approximately 300,000 acres that faces pressure from roughly 3 million annual Sedona visitors, manifesting in litter, habitat degradation, and E. coli contamination that has placed Oak Creek on the impaired waterbodies list.

OCWC's core offerings are programmatic rather than commercial: the Oak Creek Ambassador Program engages hundreds of volunteers annually in trailhead outreach, water quality monitoring, and cleanup; the Pet Waste Station Program maintains 31 stations that have collectively kept over 38,000 pounds of fecal matter out of the watershed since November 2013; Macroinvertebrate Surveys provide baseline ecological data; Social Trail Rehabilitation Monitoring targets over 120 unauthorized trails for closure; and Voluntourism events in partnership with the Sedona Chamber of Commerce convert visitors into stewards. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates with 1-10 staff led by Project Manager Kelsey Whitaker.

OCWC's revenue model is a typical community non-profit mix of individual donations and memberships, recurring event and voluntourism sponsorships, and competitive grants from federal (EPA, USFS), state (ADEQ), municipal (City of Sedona), and foundation (Arizona Community Foundation, National Forest Foundation) sources. Go-to-market is community-led: volunteer recruitment through the website, Instagram, and community events; stakeholder engagement through educational brochures, the Oak Creek Chronicles newsletter, and the 'Loved to Death' documentary; and program delivery via partnerships with USFS Red Rock Ranger District, Arizona Game and Fish, Trout Unlimited, Northern Arizona University, REI, Keep Sedona Beautiful, and Slide Rock State Park. No products or services are sold.

Name

Oak Creek Watershed Council

Legal name

Oak Creek Watershed Council

Website

https://oakcreekwatershed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oak Creek Watershed Council is a Sedona, Arizona-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that preserves the 50-mile, 300,000-acre Oak Creek watershed through volunteer-led stewardship, water quality monitoring, pet waste management, social trail rehabilitation, and educational outreach, serving local residents, 3 million annual visitors, and government and foundation funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH)

Keywords

• Watershed conservation
• Water quality monitoring
• Riparian habitat protection
• Environmental stewardship
• Watershed education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sedona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The organization accepts donations and membership contributions from individuals, businesses, and organizations to support watershed protection activities.
2. Grants: Funded by grants from Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Forest Service (USFS), National Forest Foundation, Arizona Community Foundation, and City of Sedona.
3. Event Sponsorships: Cleanup events such as Pickin' Up in the Pines receive sponsorship and partnership support from local businesses and organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Oak Creek Watershed Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and protects the 50-mile Oak Creek Watershed in Arizona through volunteer-led stewardship, water quality monitoring, citizen-science surveys, social-trail rehabilitation, public outreach, and educational programming. It engages hundreds of volunteers annually, educates thousands of visitors, maintains a network of pet waste stations along the creek, conducts scientific water sampling and macroinvertebrate surveys, and produces educational materials and water quality reports in partnership with government agencies.

Product overview

Oak Creek Watershed Council operates as a non-profit environmental organization offering a suite of conservation and education programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the Oak Creek Ambassador Program (stewardship engagement, education, and water quality monitoring), the Pet Waste Station Program (pollution reduction through pet waste stations), Water Quality Monitoring/Sampling (scientific water quality assessment), Macroinvertebrate Surveys (citizen science ecological monitoring), Social Trail Rehabilitation Monitoring (watershed improvement), and various educational materials including the Oak Creek Watershed Educational Brochure and Clean Water Starts with Me program. These programs work together to preserve Oak Creek's riparian habitat through volunteer engagement, scientific monitoring, and public education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oak Creek Ambassador Program Stewardship engagement program that deploys trained volunteers to Oak Creek trailheads and recreation sites to educate visitors, remove litter, conduct water quality checks, and maintain pet waste stations. Open to community volunteers and supported by ADEQ, EPA, USFS, and REI partnerships.
• Pet Waste Station (PWS) Program Program that installs, stocks, and maintains pet waste stations at trailheads and popular dog-walking areas along Oak Creek to reduce E. coli contamination from pet feces. Stations are donated to and serviced for the City of Sedona, private HOAs, and the USFS.
• Water Quality Monitoring / Sampling Scientific monitoring service that collects and analyzes water samples to measure E. coli and other parameters along Oak Creek. Generates baseline data used by land managers and partner agencies to identify contamination sources and prioritize restoration.
• Macroinvertebrate Surveys Citizen-science surveys that collect and identify benthic macroinvertebrates from Oak Creek to assess stream health. Produces baseline ecological data used for watershed and stream restoration planning and partnered with Trout Unlimited and Northern Arizona University.
• Social Trail Rehabilitation Monitoring Watershed improvement initiative that uses photo-point monitoring to track the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatments on unauthorized social trails in Oak Creek Canyon. Delivered with conservation crews to naturalize trails and reduce erosion across 120+ targeted sites.
• Voluntourism Events (e.g., Pickin' Up in the Pines) Community cleanup and education events that engage visitors as volunteers in trash and pet waste removal from Oak Creek. Held in partnership with the Sedona Chamber of Commerce as part of the Sedona Sustainable Tourism Plan and supported by corporate sponsorships.
• Clean Water Starts with Me Program (Oak Creek Community Outreach Program, OCCOP) Community outreach program that raises awareness of littering and pollution in the Oak Creek watershed and promotes responsible outdoor behavior among residents and visitors.
• Membership and Donation Program Membership and donation program accepting recurring and one-time contributions from individuals, businesses, and organizations to fund the nonprofit's watershed stewardship activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kept over 38,000 pounds of pet waste out of the watershed since November 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United States Forest Service (USFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with USFS Red Rock Ranger District for watershed management, trail rehabilitation, and recreational site monitoring. USFS provides land management authority and support for conservation projects in Oak Creek Canyon.
• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funding and regulatory partner providing grants and water quality standards guidance. ADEQ has funded the Ambassador Program and other watershed improvement initiatives since the organization's inception.
• National Forest FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in social trail rehabilitation monitoring and watershed improvement projects. Provides grant funding for conservation initiatives in collaboration with USFS.
• Arizona Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant funder supporting Ambassador Program, macroinvertebrate surveys, and educational outreach materials including the Oak Creek Watershed Educational Brochure.
• City of SedonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for stormwater pollution mitigation, sustainable tourism initiatives, and pet waste station installation. Supported Water Quality Reports for 2020 and 2021 under Sedona Sustainable Tourism Plan.
• Sedona Chamber of CommercemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Voluntourism events and sustainable tourism initiatives. Supports cleanup events and provides exposure to visitor community.
• Friends of the Verde RiverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional watershed partner organization for collaborative conservation efforts in the Verde River watershed system.
• Arizona Game and Fish DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife management partner for habitat protection and species conservation in the Oak Creek watershed area.
• Coconino CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner for watershed planning and land management coordination.
• Yavapai CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner for watershed planning and environmental coordination in lower watershed areas.
• Trout UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner supporting macroinvertebrate surveys and aquatic habitat protection efforts.
• REI Co-opminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting cleanup events and volunteer programs with sponsorship and volunteer participation.
• Arizona Conservation CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation corps partnership for implementing trail rehabilitation and watershed improvement projects on the ground.
• Northern Arizona University (NAU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing student volunteers, research support, and technical expertise for water quality monitoring and macroinvertebrate surveys.
• Keep Sedona BeautifulminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal environmental organization partner for community-based preservation and anti-litter initiatives.
• Slide Rock State ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState park partner for water quality monitoring at popular recreational sites and visitor education efforts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Forest Foundation: Federal-chartered nonprofit partnering with USFS on conservation projects. Existing OCWC partner and grant funder; comparable on forest watershed stewardship, trail rehabilitation, and citizen-science programs.
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Large regional watershed restoration nonprofit with similar programmatic pillars (citizen science, water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, education, policy advocacy) at a much larger scale.
• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater conservation nonprofit with a macroinvertebrate/aquatic habitat program; existing OCWC partner. Larger and broader in scope, but directly comparable on stream ecology monitoring and riparian habitat protection.

Regional players

• Arizona Land and Water Trust: Arizona-based land trust protecting riparian and watershed lands. Comparable as an Arizona-focused nonprofit engaging in water resource and habitat conservation, though focused on land acquisition rather than monitoring and education.

Emerging players

• Arizona Conservation Corps: Conservation corps deploying young adults on trail rehab and watershed improvement projects. Existing OCWC partner with directly overlapping field operations (social trail rehabilitation, watershed restoration).
• Surfrider Foundation: National coastal water quality nonprofit with chapter-based volunteer water testing, beach cleanups, and policy advocacy. Structurally analogous grassroots-volunteer + water-quality-monitoring model adapted to coastal rather than riparian systems.

Direct peers

• Tualatin Riverkeepers: Pacific Northwest watershed stewardship nonprofit with comparable volunteer-driven water quality monitoring, cleanup events, and education programs; useful comparable for a single-watershed nonprofit model.
• Willamette Riverkeeper: Local watershed council advocating for and monitoring a single named river system; structurally a near-direct comparable to OCWC in mission, scale, and community-based stewardship model.
• Friends of the Verde River: Regional Arizona watershed nonprofit already partnered with OCWC; protects the Verde River system into which Oak Creek flows. Directly comparable as a community-driven, grant-funded watershed stewardship organization in the same geography.
• Keep Sedona Beautiful: Sedona-based nonprofit focused on litter prevention, beautification, and environmental education. Existing OCWC partner; comparable scale, geography, and volunteer-driven community engagement model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theoakcreekwatershedcouncil
• Xx.com/ocreekwatershed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oak-creek-watershed-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oak Creek Watershed Council