WEST LINN, OREGON – The Willamette Falls Trust congratulates the city of West Linn for its extensive public outreach and work leading to the Council’s adoption of a new Waterfront Vision Plan on November 18.
The plan outlines a long-term strategy for transforming approximately 275 acres of underused industrial and river-adjacent lands into a thriving destination for recreation, culture and community-gathering. The area includes the location of the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Public Access Project.
“There’s growing recognition among local and state officials, Tribal leaders and the general public of the need to recognize and protect this special landscape and to create opportunities for meaningful access for all,” said Kate Brown, Oregon’s former governor and president of the Willamette Falls Trust.
“The city of West Linn has invested several years in creating and collecting public feedback on this plan,” Brown said. “I congratulate the Mayor and Council for adopting a plan that emphasizes habitat restoration, equitable public access and partnerships with local communities and Tribes of the Pacific Northwest – all priorities shared by Willamette Falls Trust.”
Willamette Falls Trust, a Tribal-led non-profit, advocates for the restoration of the Falls and surrounding area, which hold great historical, cultural and environmental significance. The Trust encourages and supports projects seeking to heal the Willamette River, honor its histories and restore public access to the grandeur of the Falls. That includes the West Linn Waterfront Project; the Willamette Falls Locks and the tumwata village in Oregon City.
The Trust’s Board of Directors includes representatives of four Tribes with extensive ties to the Falls: Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.
