North Clackamas Watersheds Council

What North Clackamas Watersheds Council does

North Clackamas Watersheds Council (NCWC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1990 and headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon, that restores and stewards four urban watersheds (Kellogg-Mt. Scott, River Forest, Boardman, and Rinearson) plus a stretch of the Willamette River from Meldrum Bar to Milwaukie Bay. With a core staff of five supported by a broader volunteer network, NCWC delivers its mission through three integrated program areas: the Streamside Stewards Program, which provides free technical advice and riparian education to private streamside landowners; a Watershed Science portfolio that conducts macroinvertebrate bioassessment, eDNA analysis, freshwater mussel surveys, and fish passage barrier assessments; and Watershed Restoration Projects, including the Kellogg Creek Restoration and Community Enhancement Project (Kellogg Dam removal planned for 2028), the Elk Rock Island Back Channel Restoration Project, and the River Forest Confluence Restoration.

NCWC's technical methodology emphasizes non-lethal, citizen-science-compatible monitoring protocols developed in partnership with Portland State University (Dr. Patrick Edwards) and validated by CASM Environmental, enabling long-term, longitudinal datasets through student-led macroinvertebrate surveys at multiple Kellogg Creek sites. The Kellogg Creek Student Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program has expanded to four schools (Milwaukie High School, Rowe Middle School, Portland Waldorf School, PACE) and produced four formal seasonal survey rounds in 2024-2025, with results publicly shared.

The organization's revenue model is a nonprofit mix of individual donations (including a year-end matching gift program and monthly contributors), grants from foundations such as Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, and Oregon Department of State Lands Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund, and in-kind or project funding from agency partners including the City of Milwaukie, Oak Lodge Water Services, and North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District. All programs are offered free of charge to participants; go-to-market is community-led through workshops, volunteer events, school partnerships, and direct outreach to streamside property owners. Strategic positioning is anchored by formal partnerships with regional conservation organizations (Xerces Society, American Rivers, Friends of Trees, The Wetlands Conservancy, Clackamas SWCD) and quasi-governmental standing with transportation and water-services agencies.

Name

North Clackamas Watersheds Council

Legal name

North Clackamas Watersheds Council

Website

https://ncwatersheds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Clackamas Watersheds Council is a small Oregon 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores four urban watersheds and a Willamette River stretch in the Milwaukie area through community-led volunteer programs, citizen-science monitoring, school partnerships, and grant-funded restoration projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Restoration and Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Watershed Protection & Water Quality Services (AFAMAMAB), Wetland, Riparian & Buffer Services (within forest landscapes) (AFAMAMAI), Wetlands & Waters of the U.S. Delineation / Riparian Assessments (EUAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Watershed restoration services
• Riparian habitat conservation
• Citizen science monitoring
• Environmental education programs
• Fish passage assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukie

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations from community members, including a year-end matching gift program. Monthly contributor program for regular income stream. Donations are tax-deductible when itemized.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: Major restoration projects funded by grants from Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Oregon Department of State Lands Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, and other foundations. Grants fund specific project costs and restoration work.
3. Corporate and Agency Partnerships: Funding and in-kind support from local government agencies (City of Milwaukie, Oak Lodge Water Services), parks districts, and corporate sponsors for specific projects and programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Clackamas Watersheds Council restores and protects urban stream watersheds across the Kellogg–Mt. Scott, River Forest, Boardman, and Rinearson watersheds (plus a stretch of the Willamette River) through volunteer-driven restoration projects, free technical assistance to streamside property owners via its Streamside Stewards Program, citizen-science watershed monitoring (macroinvertebrate bioassessment, eDNA, mussel surveys, temperature monitoring, fish passage assessments), and educational workshops and school programs delivered at no cost to participants.

Product overview

North Clackamas Watersheds Council operates as a single unified nonprofit organization offering environmental conservation programs rather than a commercial product portfolio. The core offerings include the Streamside Stewards Program (private property owner assistance), Watershed Science (monitoring and research including macroinvertebrate monitoring, eDNA, mussel surveys), and Watershed Restoration Projects (Kellogg Creek dam removal, Elk Rock Island, River Forest Confluence). Additional programs include Stormwater and Green Infrastructure education, advocacy efforts, and educational watershed workshops. The organization functions as a volunteer-driven nonprofit, not a technology platform or SaaS company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Streamside Stewards Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 trees and shrubs planted in 3-Creeks Natural Area
• +3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for riparian restoration resources. CSWCD developed a streamside planting and maintenance workbook and video series that NCWC recommends to property owners. Joint resource development for streamside property education.
• The Wetlands ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on amphibian egg mass surveys at 3 Creeks Natural Area. Joint volunteer events and survey work to document amphibian breeding activity in wetlands.
• Friends of TreescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership for native tree and shrub planting events. Collaborated on planting over 600 plants at Southern Lites Park along Mt. Scott Creek.
• City of MilwaukiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner on Elk Rock Island Back Channel Restoration Project and Kellogg Creek Restoration and Community Enhancement Project. Collaborates on restoration planning and implementation.
• North Clackamas Parks & Recreation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Elk Rock Island restoration project and annual Christmas tree recycling program for salmon habitat. Co-hosts community volunteer events.
• Johnson Creek Watershed CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Kellogg Creek Stewardship Day volunteer event. Cross-watershed council cooperation on regional watershed health.
• American RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in initiating the Kellogg Dam removal project. National river conservation organization supporting dam removal and river restoration efforts.
• Oregon Department of TransportationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner on Kellogg Creek Restoration project due to Highway 99E Bridge that rests on the dam. Involved in planning for dam removal and bridge upgrades.
• Clackamas Water Environment ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency partner on amphibian surveys and 3 Creeks Natural Area restoration. Planning stream restoration along Mt. Scott Creek with wood jams and riffles throughout 4,500 linear ft of stream.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on freshwater mussel surveys in Kellogg-Mt. Scott watershed. Xerces Society developed visual survey protocol framework used for mussel bed identification.
• Portland State University (Dr. Patrick Edwards)coreTechnology or IntegrationAcademic partner providing non-lethal macroinvertebrate survey methods and Community Science Index of Biotic Integrity for water quality assessment. Developed paper on value of citizen scientist stream data.
• CASM Environmental (Zee Searles Mazzacano)coreTechnology or IntegrationProfessional entomologist verifying student macroinvertebrate identifications and providing expertise on survey methods adaptation for impoundment conditions.
• Oak Lodge Water ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder of River Forest Confluence Restoration Project. Local water services agency.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District: Local-government conservation district covering the same Clackamas County service area, providing streamside planting workbooks and educational resources to landowners — a direct peer on geographic scope and landowner-facing services, and an existing NCWC partner.
• Tualatin Riverkeepers: Oregon-based watershed nonprofit pursuing riparian restoration, citizen science, and policy advocacy in the Tualatin basin — directly comparable mission, structure, and Pacific Northwest geographic focus to NCWC.
• Willamette Riverkeeper: Willamette River-focused advocacy and restoration nonprofit covering the same river system NCWC works in (Meldrum Bar to Milwaukie Bay) — comparable volunteer-driven restoration and water-quality monitoring model with broader river-wide scope.
• Johnson Creek Watershed Council: Neighboring Oregon watershed council operating in the adjacent Johnson Creek basin with a nearly identical model of volunteer-driven restoration, Streamside Stewards-style landowner engagement, and inter-council collaboration (already a partner of NCWC on Kellogg Creek Stewardship Day).
• Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership: Pacific Northwest watershed restoration nonprofit combining habitat restoration, community engagement, and monitoring — directly comparable operating model, regional focus, and grant-funded structure to NCWC.
• The Wetlands Conservancy: Oregon wetlands-focused nonprofit that collaborates with NCWC on amphibian egg mass surveys at 3 Creeks Natural Area — comparable scope of wetland/riparian protection work and an existing operational partner.

Broad incumbents

• Friends of Trees: Larger Pacific Northwest nonprofit specializing in large-scale native tree and shrub plantings — annually partners with NCWC (e.g., 600+ plants at Southern Lites Park) and represents a broader-incumbent peer in urban riparian planting.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: National-scale invertebrate and freshwater mussel conservation organization that co-developed survey methodology with NCWC — a broader-incumbent peer providing technical frameworks rather than competing locally.

Others

• Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: State agency that funds NCWC's major restoration projects; not a direct operational peer but a key ecosystem participant shaping the funding environment for all Oregon watershed councils.
• Portland Audubon: Regional environmental nonprofit that certified an NCWC Streamside Steward's backyard habitat at Silver level — adjacent ecosystem player with overlapping habitat-protection and education programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-clackamas-watersheds-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 North Clackamas Watersheds Council