The Freshwater Trust is an environmentalist group based in Portland, Oregon that often receives funding from grants and contracts with state and federal government agencies in connection with its regional conservation efforts.

Background

In 1983, the predecessor organization to the Freshwater Trust, Oregon Trout, was formed as a wild fish conservation group. In the early 1990s, that group led a coalition that campaigned to list several varieties of Pacific salmon under the Endangered Species Act. Later, in 1993, Oregon Trout helped to found the Oregon Water Trust, the first water trust in the United States. ¹

In 1989, Oregon Trout was registered as a charitable nonprofit organization in Portland, Oregon, and in 2009, it merged with the Oregon Water Trust to form the Freshwater Trust. ^{2 3}

Aside from its main office in Portland, Oregon, the Freshwater Trust also maintains offices in Ashland, Oregon and Sacramento, California. ⁴

Activity

According to the organization’s website, the Freshwater Trust contracts with entities subject to the Clean Water Act to maintain regulatory compliance. As of March 2024, the organization claims to have active credit contracts with six regulated entities in states including Idaho, Washington, California, and Colorado. ⁵

Major Grants and Funding

The Freshwater Trust has received many major federal and state government and institutional grants in connection with its conservation projects and initiatives. For instance, in 2011, the organization received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Innovation Grant program; in 2015, a $350,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to build a water budgeting prototype in California and $150,000 for restoration work in the John Day River Basin from the Bella Vista Foundation; in 2016, a $114,265 grant from the Oregon Water Resources Department to restore Catherine Creek; in 2018 a grant worth roughly over half a million dollars from the Oregon Water Resources Department for the Johnston Lane Conservation Project and a $490,000 grant from the California Department of Water Resources; and in 2019, a $280.5 million grant of state funds through a partnership with the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District. ⁶

Leadership

Joe Whitworth is the president and chief executive officer of the Freshwater Trust. Previously, he was the founding board chair of the Council for Responsible Sport as well as a guest lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. ⁷

Marcelino Alvarez is the chair of the Freshwater Trust’s board of directors as well as the chief executive officer and co-founder of Photon Marine. Previously, he worked in advertising, producing campaigns for Crispin Porter and Bogusky and Wieden and Kennedy, and founded Uncorked Studios, a product design firm. ⁸

Tim Wigington is the vice president of finance and policy at the Freshwater Trust. Previously, he worked in an environmental litigation and business law firm, and clerked for several environmental nonprofits based in the northwest. ⁹

David Primozich is the vice president of water at the Freshwater Trust. Previously, he was the executive director of the Willamette Partnership, a conservation group focused on the Willamette River watershed in Portland, Oregon. ^{10 11}

1. “Office Locations.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/contact/
2. “History.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/about-us/history/
3. “The Freshwater Trust.” ProPublica. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/930843521
4. “Office Locations.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/contact/
5. “Compliance Solutions.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/services/compliance-solutions/
6. “History.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/about-us/history/
7. “Joe Whitworth.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/bio/joe-whitworth/
8. “Board of Directors.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/about-us/board-of-directors/
9. “Tom Wigington.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/bio/tim-wigington/
10. “About.” Willamette Partnership. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://willamettepartnership.org/about/
11. “David Primozich.” The Freshwater Trust. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/bio/david-primozich/