Media Release
10 October 2012
Willamette River wins 2012 Thiess International Riverprize
For immediate release
International RiverFoundation awarded the Willamette River Initiative of Oregon, USA, the 2012 Thiess
International Riverprize for excellence in river management.
The award was presented at the Riverprize Gala Dinner, in Melbourne Australia, on Tuesday 9 October.
The Thiess International Riverprize is worth $300,000 and is the most prestigious environmental prize in
the world.
The Willamette River Initiative is implemented by the Meyer Memorial Trust, an organisation made up of
dozens of stakeholders who are jointly involved in the planning, management and regulation of activities
that affect the river.
Pam Wiley, Director of the Willamette River Initiative, thanked all of the stakeholders who are involved in
the project and said that receiving the Thiess International Riverprize and attending the International
Riversymposium was very encouraging and a great experience.
“Someone once said to me that in this line of work, there is no final victory, but there is progress. The last
couple of days have been a lesson to me in progress and have made me very hopeful for my children’s
generation”.
The Willamette River Initiative was chosen for their effective, collaborative approach that has resulted in
marked improvements to the health of the river over the past decade. The project has tackled a range of
challenges including toxic chemical threat, high water temperatures, a confined channel, dam-altered
flows, loss of floodplain forests, population growth and climate change.
Matthew Reddy, CEO of the International RiverFoundation, said “the Willamette River is a true American
turn-around story and richly deserving of the world’s most valuable environmental award. The Meyer
Memorial Trust has partnered with universities, NGOs and Watershed Councils as part of a concerted
effort to restore the river and all organisations should be congratulated for their team effort.”
The Meyer Memorial Trust now has the opportunity to develop a twinning programme with another river
basin in a different country to share their award winning knowledge and encourage others. The twinning
programme will receive support from the International RiverFoundation and its global community of river
practitioners.
The other finalists in the 2012 Thiess International Riverprize were the Okavango River Basin (Angola,
Botswana & Namibia) Prespa Lakes (Greece) and the Nushagak River (Alaska, USA) - which was declared
Highly Commended by the judges. The Nushagak River is a unique example of the need to engage in
protection activities for rivers of ecological significance.
“With three other worthy international finalists, 2012 stands out as a highly competitive year so we pay
tribute to all finalists on making the event such a tightly fought encounter”, said Mr Reddy.
The Thiess International Riverprize is awarded annually along with the Australian Riverprize, and a
European Riverprize will be awarded for the first time in 2013.
Applications for 2013 are now open for all categories – please visit the IRF website for further details.
ENDS
Contact:
Matthew Reddy, CEO
International RiverFoundation
(07) 3123 7767 | matthew@riverfoundation.org.au
About the winner:
Willamette River, Oregon, USA
As the heart of a large, productive river basin in the most populous part of Oregon, USA, the Willamette
River faces many threats: toxic chemicals, high water temperatures, a confined channel, dam-altered
flows, loss of floodplain forests, population growth and climate change.
But in the past 10 years, there has been a collaborative effort by watershed organizations, land trusts,
farmers, cities, state agencies, and private foundations to improve the health of the Willamette and its
tributaries. These groups are guided by a suite of scientific plans and studies, including the Willamette
Restoration Strategy and the Willamette River Basin Planning Atlas, that together form a framework for
prioritizing and tracking restoration efforts.
A new public and private funding partnership between the Meyer Memorial Trust, the state of Oregon
Watershed Enhancement Board and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation is supporting projects to
improve channel complexity, increase floodplain/river connections, and expand floodplain forests and
riparian buffers.
Though the Willamette is cleaner today than it was 50 years ago, many reaches and tributaries do not
meet current water quality standards. The river has been straightened and simplified, and riparian
vegetation and bottomland forests have been replaced by agricultural and urban development. Flood
control efforts have dramatically altered river hydrology.
Four years after this funding partnership began; restoration projects are underway at 15 sites along the
mainstream Willamette. These projects encompass over 2500 acres of land – either undergoing active
restoration or set aside for future projects through acquisition and easements.
On the mainstream Willamette, twelve organizations and more than 20 private landowners are currently
engaged in restoration. Projects include invasive species removal, floodplain forest restoration, side
channel reconnection, and the removal of dikes and revetments to restore floodplain function.
Above: The Willamette River, Oregon USA | Photo Credits: Meyer Memorial Trust.
Above: The Meyer Memorial Trust receives their award. Photo credits: International RiverFoundation.
More images are available on request – please contact patricia@riverfoundation.org.au.