grande ronde model watershed foundation

What grande ronde model watershed foundation does

The Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation (GRMW) is a non-profit organization established in April 1992 when the Northwest Power Planning Council selected the Grande Ronde Basin as Oregon's model watershed project. Headquartered in La Grande, Oregon with a secondary office in Enterprise, GRMW coordinates fish habitat restoration across approximately 3.1 million acres of the Grande Ronde and Imnaha basins in northeastern Oregon, with primary focus on spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead. The organization serves private landowners, federal and state agencies (including the US Forest Service, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Oregon Water Resources Department), and tribal governments (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Nez Perce Tribe), facilitating a stakeholder governance structure through a multi-constituency Board of Directors.

GRMW's core technology platform centers on the Stepwise funding application portal, which routes restoration proposals through a seven-stage review process from prospectus to Board approval, and the Project Database covering 1994-2023 with over 300 tracked sponsors. Supporting infrastructure includes 12 stream-flow gauges operated cooperatively with the Oregon Water Resources Department, a Restoration Atlas with scoring matrices for geographic prioritization, ArcGIS Online integration for hydrological mapping, and a 2021 LiDAR dataset hosted via FTP. Outreach channels include a quarterly Ripples newsletter distributed through county newspapers, social media presence, and the 'Best Country' documentary (2009) produced with Green Fire Productions.

GRMW operates as a non-profit with no fee-for-service revenue; its core operating budget is funded by federal and state grants from the Bonneville Power Administration (Columbia River Power System mitigation), Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, US Forest Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. Project-level restoration funding is allocated through the Stepwise process to qualified sponsors. The organization employs six staff members including an Executive Director (Jesse Steele), Office/Finance Manager (Mary Estes), IT Manager (Connar Stone), two County Project Coordinators, and a GIS Technician.

Name

grande ronde model watershed foundation

Legal name

Grande Ronde Model Watershed

Website

https://grmw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation is a 501(c)-style non-profit founded in 1992 that coordinates salmon and steelhead habitat restoration across 3.1 million acres in northeastern Oregon, operating the Stepwise funding portal, 12 stream-flow gauges, and a Restoration Atlas for private landowners, federal/state agencies, and tribal governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF), Wetlands & Waters of the U.S. Delineation / Riparian Assessments (EUAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Watershed restoration services
• Fish habitat coordination
• Stream flow monitoring
• Salmon habitat recovery
• Conservation project funding

Headquarters

HQ city

La Grande

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal & State Grants: Primary funding from BPA (Bonneville Power Administration), OWEB (Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board), and US Forest Service for stream-flow gauge operations and habitat restoration projects. Funding is allocated through the Stepwise process to qualified restoration projects.
2. Project Coordination Services: Coordinates restoration efforts across public and private lands, facilitating funding allocation and project implementation for salmon and steelhead habitat restoration in the Grande Ronde Basin.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation is a non-profit organization that coordinates fish habitat restoration across 3.1 million acres of the Grande Ronde Basin in northeastern Oregon. It facilitates restoration funding through its Stepwise application platform, maintains 12 stream-flow monitoring gauges in cooperation with Oregon Water Resources Department, operates a Project Database and Restoration Atlas for planning, and provides technical assistance to private landowners, federal and state agencies, and tribal governments (CTUIR and Nez Perce Tribe) for salmon and steelhead habitat projects.

Product overview

The Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation operates a coordinated ecosystem of restoration management tools centered on its Stepwise funding application platform and Project Database. The organization provides geographic planning through its Restoration Atlas, environmental monitoring via 12 stream-flow gauges integrated with ArcGIS Online, and access to scientific resources including subbasin plans and assessments. Additional offerings include the Ripples community newsletter, a Community Science portal, and data distribution through an FTP site and LiDAR datasets. The portfolio functions as an integrated watershed management system enabling private landowners, agencies, and tribal partners to move restoration projects from concept through implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 stream-flow gauges maintained continuously for over a decade
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative partnership for operating and maintaining 12 stream-flow gauges in the Grande Ronde Basin. OWRD provides technical oversight and data integration for water monitoring efforts.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA agency partner providing technical and financial assistance for conservation projects on private lands, working with landowners on soil and water quality conservation.
• US Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner providing funding for stream gauges and collaborating on restoration projects across Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and related federal lands.
• Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner with fisheries biologists participating on Implementation Team and Board. ODFW provides technical expertise and assists landowners with project development.
• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented on Board with dedicated representative Allen Childs. CTUIR operates Grande Ronde Fish Habitat Program working with landowners on restoration and promoting First Foods and River Vision.
• Nez Perce Tribe (NPT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented on Board with Joe McCormack and Katie Frenyea. NPT focuses on Treaty Resources including water, salmon, steelhead, lamprey and ecological systems in Grande Ronde, Minam, Wallowa and Imnaha subbasins.
• USGSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing scientific data and monitoring support for watershed assessment and restoration planning.
• Northwest Power and Conservation CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected GRMW as the model watershed project in Oregon in 1992. Council directs the development of subbasin plans and reviews restoration effectiveness through ISRP.
• Green Fire ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDocumentary production company that partnered with GRMW in 2009 to create 'The Best Country' film about ranching families restoring salmon and steelhead habitat.
• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partner listed as project sponsor, providing restoration expertise and volunteer support for habitat improvement projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater conservation non-profit focused on trout and salmon habitat protection and restoration across the U.S., with significant Pacific Northwest activity. Comparable mission on salmonid habitat and listed as a GRMW project sponsor, but operates at much larger national scale rather than basin-specific coordination.

Direct peers

• Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership: Bi-state non-profit implementing the Lower Columbia River Estuary Program, coordinating habitat restoration, monitoring, and education across the lower Columbia. Comparable as a Columbia Basin restoration coordinator with multi-stakeholder board and federal/state grant dependencies.
• Wild Salmon Center: International non-profit focused on the conservation and sustainable use of wild Pacific salmon and their habitats across the Pacific Rim, with active projects in the Columbia Basin. Comparable mission on wild salmonid habitat protection and restoration effectiveness science.
• Salmon-Safe: Portland-based non-profit that certifies land management practices that protect Pacific salmon and watershed health across the Pacific Northwest. Comparable as a PNW-focused watershed protection organization working with private landowners on habitat-friendly practices.
• Pacific Rivers Council: Pacific Northwest non-profit advocating for the protection and restoration of rivers, watersheds, and native fish populations. Comparable as a regional river-protection non-profit with overlapping anadromous fish and water quality priorities.
• Deschutes River Conservancy: Oregon-based non-profit that restores streamflow and improves water quality in the Deschutes Basin through leasing, water rights transactions, and stakeholder collaboration. Closely comparable as a basin-scale watershed restoration coordinator with a multi-stakeholder board and grant-funded operating model.
• Wallowa Resources: Community-based non-profit operating in Wallowa County, Oregon, focused on forest and watershed health, sustainable forestry, and rural community resilience. Highly comparable due to overlapping geography (Wallowa Basin), complementary mission around private-land stewardship, and similar grant-funded operating model.
• Yakima Basin Joint Board: Coalition of irrigation districts and water users in Washington's Yakima Basin that coordinates water resource management, habitat restoration, and fisheries improvements. Comparable in basin-scale coordination role, multi-stakeholder governance, and integration with federal/state funders.
• Hood River Watershed Group: Watershed council serving the Hood River Basin in northern Oregon, coordinating habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, and landowner assistance. Comparable as another Oregon watershed council using a Stepwise-like project development pipeline and serving agricultural/forestry landowners.
• Clackamas River Basin Council: Oregon watershed council serving the Clackamas River Basin, providing watershed restoration, water quality monitoring, and stewardship programs. Comparable as an Oregon watershed council using a similar project development pipeline for habitat restoration on private and public lands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/modelwatershed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/grmodelwatershed
• Facebookfacebook.com/138256389544901
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grande-ronde-model-watershed-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 grande ronde model watershed foundation