Willamette Riverkeeper

What it reported doing in 2024

Restoration: in 2024, willamette riverkeeper (wrk) managed 19 active restoration grants and partner funding contracts across the willamette basin, advancing aquatic and riparian habitat recovery while engaging communities through education, volunteerism, and collaborative science.key accomplishments:- gail achterman wildlife area - completed phases 1 & 2: site preparation, planting, interplanting, and plant establishment.- willamette mission state park - completed phases 4 & 5: expanded site preparation, planting, invasive species treatment (especially in mission lake), and riparian edge restoration.- aquatic invasive species (ais) program - sixth year of Oregon state weed board grants, intensifying survey and early-response efforts for ludwigia and other priority species.- supplemental environmental project - in partnership with riverbend materials, implemented two paddle & pull events and ludwigia treatments at willamette slough under a $10,000 agreement.- private landowner engagement - inaugurated a private-funded ais treatment via the courtney family, representing a growing model of co-investment in river health. Collectively, wrk leveraged $423,484 in oweb funding, plus $107,000 in matching funds, yielding a total $530,514 investment in watershed restoration. Wrk was honored with the outstanding partner in conservation award (yamhill swcd) and the Oregon noxious weed award (Oregon department of agriculture).volunteer and outreach engagementeducation and outreach remained central to wrk's restoration work, preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (ais) through direct community engagement and professional training.volunteer participation: 78 volunteers and 27 community participants contributed to ais removal and planting events.- paddle & pull (benton swcd): 2 events / 28 volunteers- paddle & pull (city of salem + elderberry wisdom farm): 2 events / 32 volunteers- mission lake wapato planting day: 18 volunteers- ais community outreach tabling day: 27 participantswrk presented at major professional gatherings, including "let's pull together" (portland), the missoula ais short course (mt), wain strategies (jackson & josephine counties), and the Oregon interagency noxious weed symposium (corvallis) - reaching 50 to 200 attendees per event and expanding regional coordination on ais control.aquatic habitat restorationthrough aggressive ais management - particularly targeting ludwigia - wrk reopened sloughs, restored flow connectivity, and supported the resurgence of native aquatic vegetation such as wapato.key stats: - aquatic weeds removed by hand: 80 bags (33-gallon) - total ludwigia area treated: 169.5 acres - oxbow slough - 45 acres - windsor slough - 85 acres - gail achterman wildlife area - 13.2 acres - willamette slough - 6.7 acres - eldridge bar - ~7.4 acres - black dog landing - 12.1 acres - private landowners - 0.1 acresearly detection & rapid response (edrr)under the Oregon state weed board, yamhill swcd, and benton swcd grants, wrk surveyed and treated 37 gross acres across 128 river miles of mainstem habitat to detect and suppress newly emerging a-listed invasive species. - mainstem coverage: 76.5 river miles (oswb grant) - supplemental coverage: 51.5 river miles (yswcd + bswcd grants)terrestrial habitat restorationwrk advanced riparian restoration at two key willamette basin sites:- gail achterman wildlife area - 52 acres restored; 26,067 native bareroot plants installed.- willamette mission state park - 65 acres restored; 39,500 native bareroot plants installed.together, these efforts contributed to reopening critical aquatic channels, re-establishing native plant communities, and improving long-term ecosystem resilience throughout the basin.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 70.5%; rating input score 70
• Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 10.3%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.86; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 25.9%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings