WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST
Wild Rivers Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that protects wild places and working agricultural lands across Oregon's South Coast through conservation easements, land acquisition, and active stewardship. It serves private landowners, family ranches, and rural coastal communities across a 12-watershed region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersPort Orford, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST does
Wild Rivers Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust founded on March 17, 2000, and headquartered in Port Orford, Oregon. Originally established as the Elk River Land Trust, the organization rebranded in 2014 to reflect its expanded geographic footprint along Oregon's South Coast. WRLT protects wild places and working agricultural lands across a service area covering Coos, Curry, and southwestern Douglas counties, spanning approximately 135 miles of coastline, 12 watersheds, and 2.2-2.3 million acres. As of 2025, the organization protects 1,732 acres across 12 properties and currently stewards 997 acres under easement, including four federally designated Wild & Scenic Rivers (Rogue, Elk, Chetco, Illinois).
The trust delivers three core conservation services: conservation easements (permanent legal agreements attached to the deed), land acquisition (direct purchase of ecologically significant properties, sometimes later transferred to public or tribal ownership), and stewardship and monitoring (annual property visits plus active restoration including tree planting, invasive species removal, and river/wetland restoration). Complementary philanthropic services include donations programs, planned estate giving, and land donations. The organization achieved Land Trust Accreditation Commission certification in August 2019, placing it among fewer than 400 accredited land trusts nationally.
WRLT is funded through individual donations (one-time, recurring, corporate matches, payroll deductions, Donor Advised Funds, Qualified Charitable Distributions), land and stock donations, planned estate giving, and government grants from USDA NRCS, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program, and EPA. The organization operates with a small team of approximately 5-7 staff and is governed by a 7-member board of directors. Its go-to-market approach is community-led, working cooperatively and voluntarily with private landowners, family farms, and ranches, supplemented by event-driven community engagement through River Party celebrations, Run for the Rivers 5K, walking tours, and BioBlitz events. Amy Knapp Pettit serves as Executive Director as of April 2025.
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST
- Legal name
- Wild Rivers Land Trust
- Website
- https://wildriverslandtrust.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Wild Rivers Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that protects wild places and working agricultural lands across Oregon's South Coast through conservation easements, land acquisition, and active stewardship. It serves private landowners, family ranches, and rural coastal communities across a 12-watershed region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Land Conservation Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)
- SIC
- Forestry (800), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Timberland Conservation & Easement Management (AFAMAKAI), Mine Land & Brownfield Reclamation Planting (AFAMACAM), Conservation & Protected Land Brokerage (Easements, Land Trust Sales) (BPAJADAH)
Keywords
Where WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Port Orford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Donations: The organization accepts one-time gifts, recurring donations, corporate matches, and payroll deductions from individual donors. They also accept Donor Advised Fund contributions and Qualified Charitable Distributions (up to $100,000 per year for individuals 70½ years or older).
- Land Donations: Private landowners can donate land as a reserved life estate or in the form of a conservation easement. Stock donations can be made through their Morgan Stanley brokerage account.
- Estate Planning: Planned giving includes bequests, charitable remainder trusts, reserved life estates, IRA distributions (QCDs), donor advised funds, and life insurance/pension plan donations.
- Government Grants: Funding from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP), Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), and EPA Brownfield grants.
- EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant: $1,940,000 EPA grant secured in 2023 to clean up the former Western States Plywood Mill site and restore Bagley Creek.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wild Rivers Land Trust delivers voluntary land protection services to private landowners through conservation easements (permanent legal agreements that attach to the deed and survive ownership transfers), direct land acquisition of ecologically significant properties, and ongoing stewardship and monitoring of protected lands. The trust complements these core services with habitat restoration (tree planting, invasive removal, river/prairie/wetland restoration, brownfield cleanup) and donor/philanthropic programs including one-time and recurring gifts, planned estate giving, and land donations.
Product overview
Wild Rivers Land Trust operates as a single integrated conservation organization offering land protection services through three core mechanisms: conservation easements (legal agreements that permanently protect land), land acquisition (direct purchase of ecologically significant properties), and stewardship/monitoring (ongoing active management of protected lands). The organization complements its core conservation work with philanthropic services including donation programs, planned estate giving, and land donation options. Engagement programs including community events, walking tours, BioBlitz ecological surveys, and anniversary celebrations support fundraising and public education. The organization was founded in 2000 and currently protects approximately 1,732 acres across 12 properties in Oregon's South Coast region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Conservation Easements
- Land Acquisition
- Stewardship and Monitoring
- Donation Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,732 acres protected across 12 properties
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Conservation FundcoreProvided partnership and technical assistance for the Wahl Family conservation easement project. Supports regenerative ranching practices and agricultural heritage conservation in the region.
- Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw IndiansminorWRLT returned 2.5-acre Wygant property on Coos Bay to the tribe in 2020, enhancing wetland and riparian habitats.
- Land Trust Accreditation CommissioncoreNationally-recognized body that accredited WRLT in August 2019, recognizing adherence to land conservation standards and practices.
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)coreCollaborating with WRLT and EPA to address contamination from former Western States Plywood Mill. DEQ is managing the cleanup process including soil and water testing and remediation.
- Elk River PartnersminorCurrent landowners working with WRLT on brownfield cleanup project at the former mill site.
- Curry Watershed PartnershipcoreLocal member of Coast Coho Partnership working on salmon habitat restoration in the Elk River watershed. Led Cedar Creek Enhancement project.
- Wild Salmon CentercoreManages Coast Coho Partnership with NOAA Restoration Center. Completed 5-year $2.5M cooperative agreement benefiting Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon.
- Curry Soil and Water Conservation DistrictcorePartner on Cedar Creek Enhancement project with landowner Terry Wahl. Working to restore salmon habitat on South Coast sheep ranch.
- The Nature ConservancyminorTransferred Nesika Preserve (roughly 100 acres) to Wild Rivers Land Trust in 2020.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Trust for Public Land: National conservation organization engaged in land acquisition, conservation easements, and federal funding capture across the same Pacific Northwest geographies WRLT operates in.
- Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program: Program of Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) that funded WRLT's Wahl Family Ranch easement; directly comparable in mission around working-lands conservation easements.
- The Nature Conservancy (Oregon Chapter): Largest global conservation NGO with active Oregon operations; transferred the 100-acre Nesika Preserve to WRLT in 2020, demonstrating peer-overlap on coastal-forest conservation priorities.
Direct peers
- McKenzie River Trust: Accredited Oregon land trust that protects lands along the McKenzie and Willamette river systems, running comparable conservation-easement, land-acquisition, and stewardship programs in shared state-level funding ecosystems.
- Columbia Land Trust: Pacific Northwest accredited land trust protecting floodplains, forests, and farmland in the Columbia River region with a similar mix of conservation easements, fee acquisition, and federal funding capture.
- Cascade Forest Conservancy: Regional land trust focused on forest and watershed conservation in Oregon; operates conservation easements and stewardship programs that directly overlap with WRLT's working-lands and forest-protection mission.
- North Coast Land Conservancy: Accredited land trust operating along Oregon's North Coast with comparable conservation-easement programs, stewardship services, and federal-grant capture on similar coastal forest ecosystems.
- Southern Oregon Land Conservancy: Another accredited regional land trust serving southern Oregon with overlapping conservation-easement, land-acquisition, and stewardship services on similar rural coastal/inland geographies to WRLT.
Emerging players
- Wild Salmon Center: Partner managing Coast Coho Partnership with NOAA Restoration Center; aligned with WRLT on salmon habitat restoration and Wild & Scenic Rivers protection across overlapping southern Oregon watersheds.
- Coast Coho Partnership: Multi-organization partnership led by Curry Watershed Partnership and Wild Salmon Center; shares WRLT's geographic focus on Elk River and southern Oregon coho salmon habitat.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST social profiles
Digital presenceWILD RIVERS LAND TRUST compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST
What does WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST do?
Wild Rivers Land Trust delivers voluntary land protection services to private landowners through conservation easements (permanent legal agreements that attach to the deed and survive ownership transfers), direct land acquisition of ecologically significant properties, and ongoing stewardship and monitoring of protected lands. The trust complements these core services with habitat restoration (tree planting, invasive removal, river/prairie/wetland restoration, brownfield cleanup) and donor/philanthropic programs including one-time and recurring gifts, planned estate giving, and land donations.
Is WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST a public or private company?
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST founded?
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST based?
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST is headquartered in Port Orford, United States, in the North America region.
How does WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are land Donations, estate Planning, government Grants and EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant.
Who are WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Trust for Public Land, Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program and The Nature Conservancy (Oregon Chapter). Direct peers are McKenzie River Trust, Columbia Land Trust, Cascade Forest Conservancy, North Coast Land Conservancy and Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. Emerging players are Wild Salmon Center and Coast Coho Partnership.
Does WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST have an API?
No public API is recorded for WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST.
What industry is WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST in?
WILD RIVERS LAND TRUST's product category is Land Conservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAC, Land Trusts & Protected Areas, with a secondary code of AFAMAKAI, Timberland Conservation & Easement Management. Its NAICS code is 115310 and its SIC code is 800.