Columbia Slough Watershed Council

What Columbia Slough Watershed Council does

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council (CSWC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1994 and incorporated in 2002, headquartered at Whitaker Ponds Nature Park in Portland, Oregon. The organization protects and enhances the Columbia Slough and its 60-mile watershed, which spans four municipalities and supports an urban landscape of approximately 170,000 residents and 4,200 businesses. Its mission is delivered through six core program areas: Slough School (K-12 hands-on environmental education), Stewardship Programs (habitat restoration including invasive plant removal, stream bank restoration, and native plant installation), Paddle Programs (guided excursions on 19 miles of navigable waterways), Community Events (50+ events annually including Slough Science lectures, Stewardship Saturdays, and birding walks), the Volunteer Program, and Recreation Guides. Notable programmatic infrastructure includes the Healthy Industrial Lands Initiative, which partners with the Port of Portland and integrates green workforce development through Verde (Club Aves), Northwest Youth Corps, and Multnomah Youth Cooperative.

CSWC's business model is donation- and grant-dependent, structured as a community-led organization rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue streams comprise individual donations (including a monthly giving program), corporate sponsorships (Level Beer, Oakshire Brewing, Von Ebert), and grants from government agencies and foundations (Portland Water Bureau, East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Bird Alliance of Oregon, Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District). Most programs are free to participants; only specialty offerings carry modest fees — the Bull Run Watershed Tour is $35 per person and the Outdoor Film Photography Workshop requests a $25 contribution, with scholarships available. Distribution occurs entirely through direct program delivery and partner-organization channels across the Portland metro area, with no proprietary technology platform.

The organization is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors with reserved seats for business, environmental, government, and neighborhood stakeholders, and led by Executive Director Amanda Gallegos (appointed 2025), succeeding Heather King (2022-2025). CSWC maintains deep partnerships with cultural and equity-focused organizations including the Slavic Community Center, Black Men's Wellness, People of Color Outdoors, Queer Flockers, and the Feminist Bird Club Portland, reflecting an explicit JEDI Committee and Equity Action Plan that informs programming for historically underserved communities.

Name

Columbia Slough Watershed Council

Legal name

Columbia Slough Watershed Council

Website

https://columbiaslough.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Watershed restoration services
• Environmental education programs
• Habitat conservation
• Community stewardship programs
• Volunteer engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, monthly giving programs, and annual fundraising campaigns including Give!Guide. The organization accepts donations through its website and encourages corporate sponsorships.
2. Grants: Funding from government agencies, foundations, and environmental organizations. Annual reports and 990 tax forms are publicly available, indicating grant-dependent funding.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship program for businesses to support watershed work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council protects and enhances the Columbia Slough and its watershed through community-based environmental education, habitat restoration, and inclusive outdoor recreation programming. Its core offerings include the Slough School (K-12 science education), Stewardship Programs (habitat restoration and invasive species removal), Paddle Programs (community access to navigable waterways), and a robust Community Events and Volunteer Program. Most programs are free to participants; the organization is funded by donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Columbia Slough Watershed Council operates as a unified environmental education and conservation organization offering multiple interconnected programs: Slough School provides K-12 science-based education; Stewardship Programs conduct habitat restoration and green workforce development; Paddle Programs offer community access to waterways through guided excursions and volunteer paddle teams; Community Events including Slough Science lectures and Stewardship Saturdays engage the public; and the Volunteer Program mobilizes community participation. The organization also produces Recreation Guides as informational resources. These programs collectively serve the watershed's 170,000 residents across four municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Slough School Hands-on, science-based K-12 education programs that teach students about watershed ecology, wildlife, and environmental stewardship through experiential learning at Whitaker Ponds and other natural areas in the Columbia Slough Watershed. Includes school paddles and Slough School Online resources.
• Stewardship Programs Habitat restoration initiatives including invasive plant removal (52,000+ sq ft removed), native plant installation (11,000+ plants installed), and stream bank restoration (5,400+ linear feet restored). Includes the Healthy Industrial Lands Initiative providing free restoration services to private industrial landowners and partnerships with green workforce development organizations.
• Paddle Programs Community paddling excursions and paddle team training providing outdoor recreation access to the Columbia Slough's 19 miles of navigable waterways. Includes bilingual (Ukrainian/Russian) Slavic community paddles, BIPOC-specific paddling events through partnerships with People of Color Outdoors and Black Men's Wellness, and school paddle field trips.
• Community Events 50+ annual seasonal events including Slough Science lectures hosted at breweries (Level Beer, Von Ebert, Oakshire), Stewardship Saturdays, birding walks, forest bathing sessions, bike tours, and the annual Slough Celebration that engage the public with watershed education and conservation.
• Volunteer Program Structured volunteer pathway from orientation through trained Paddle Team membership, providing opportunities for community members to participate in habitat restoration, event support, paddle team volunteering, and stewardship activities supporting the organization's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored over 52,000 square feet of invasive plant areas
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Portland Water BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for water education programs including Bull Run Watershed Tours, Cycle the Well Field cycling events, and water system education. CSWC facilitates community participation in PWB educational programming.
• Portland Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on stewardship events and habitat restoration at parks including Kelley Point Park, Columbia Children's Arboretum, and other natural areas within the watershed.
• Bird Alliance of OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Slough Fest event series, Bird Days of Summer programming, birding paddles, and collaborative educational events. BAO provides birding expertise and co-leads events.
• Level BeercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for Slough Science lecture series. Level Beer hosts monthly educational events. Previous collaboration on Slough Slayer beer for Earth Day fundraising.
• Oakshire BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOakshire Inspires fundraising events where percentage of sales donated to CSWC. Occasional partnership for community events.
• Temenos RisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Nature Connection series including mindfulness and somatic practices designed specifically for BIPOC community members.
• East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented workshops including Tackle the Weeds hands-on training for gardeners. EMSWCD provides technical expertise and co-organizes educational programming.
• Flood Safety District (Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Bike the Levees events and Slough Celebration venue. Joint programming on flood safety and watershed education.
• Slavic Community CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilingual (Ukrainian/Russian) paddling events exclusively for Slavic community members. CSWC provides equipment, staff, and programming while SCC provides community outreach and interpretation.
• Black Men's WellnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for annual Can I Kayak? paddling event during Black Men's Wellness Wellness Week/Juneteenth celebration. CSWC provides equipment and paddling instruction.
• Feminist Bird Club PortlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Bike & Bird events for BIPOC, queer, and neurodivergent participants. FBC provides birding leadership while CSWC provides venue and support.
• People of Color Outdoors (POCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIPOC-focused paddling events and community building. POCO community leaders co-lead events and provide culturally relevant programming.
• Queer FlockersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Portland Pride Paddling & Birding event combining LGBTQ+ community building with outdoor recreation.
• Verde (Club Aves)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen workforce development partner providing young people of color and low-income community members for stewardship projects. Collaboration on habitat restoration and workforce training.
• Northwest Youth CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth conservation corps providing crews for large-scale habitat restoration projects in the watershed.
• Multnomah Youth CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth employment program providing participants for green workforce development projects and restoration work.
• Friends of TreesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on tree planting and urban forestry projects within the watershed.
• City of Portland Urban ForestrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Tree Equity Walk events and urban forestry education. Joint programming on tree identification and urban canopy issues.
• Port of PortlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Healthy Industrial Lands Initiative, providing access to port properties for riparian restoration projects.
• Mosaic EcologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcological consulting partner for habitat restoration projects and biological assessments.
• Ash Creek Forest ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerForest management partner for restoration projects and invasive species management.
• Nidus Consulting (Ryan Gilpin)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRyan Gilpin provides birding expertise and leads community bird walks and educational events. Individual contractor/partner.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Portland Parks & Recreation: Municipal parks agency managing natural areas where CSWC delivers stewardship programming — core operational partner with overlapping mission in urban watershed parks.
• Nature Conservancy — Oregon Chapter: Large national conservation organization with significant Oregon operations focused on land protection, watershed work, and habitat restoration — operates at greater scale in overlapping domains.
• East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District: Government special district providing conservation technical assistance, grants, and education in the same Portland metro geography; CSWC is an active co-program partner with EMSWCD.

Direct peers

• Friends of Trees: Portland-area nonprofit planting trees and restoring urban green spaces through volunteer events — CSWC partners with Friends of Trees on watershed tree-planting projects.
• Verde: Portland nonprofit combining environmental restoration with green workforce development for communities of color — CSWC partners with Verde (Club Aves) on stewardship and workforce programming.
• Tualatin River Watershed Council: Oregon-based watershed council serving the Tualatin River basin with community-led restoration, education, and stewardship programs — structurally and operationally identical to CSWC.
• Bird Alliance of Oregon: Portland-based conservation nonprofit delivering habitat education, birding programs, and community events — CSWC co-produces birding events with this organization.
• Northwest Youth Corps: Regional youth conservation corps deploying crews for habitat restoration — CSWC contracts Northwest Youth Corps for stewardship project labor in the watershed.
• Clackamas Watershed Council: Oregon-based nonprofit watershed council offering stewardship, education, and restoration programs in the Clackamas River basin — same citizen-led watershed council structure as CSWC.
• Lower Nehalem Watershed Council: Oregon watershed council focused on habitat restoration, community education, and volunteer stewardship along the Nehalem River — directly comparable nonprofit watershed model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/columbia-slough-watershed-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Columbia Slough Watershed Council