RIVERS
WANT TO
RUN WILD.
River Basin Wildlife Conservancy (RBUWC) restores river basins, wetlands and floodplain forests. 42,800 acres protected • 96 river miles rewound • 100% community-powered.
to Mile 42
Not a park.
A living laboratory.
We let water decide where water wants to go.
For a century we straightened rivers, drained marshes and cut floodplains. RBUWC reverses that: we remove dams, plug old ditches, plant native willow, alder and sedge, then step back. Nature does the heavy lifting — we just monitor, protect and invite people in.
Every acre has a baseline, sensors + annual census.
Farmers, fishers & schools co-manage 60% of lands.
Dead wood stays. Floods welcome. Trails float.
All counts, maps & water quality live on this site.
From beaver deceivers to eDNA — a blend of ancestral knowledge and 2026 tech.
42 rangers.
900+ citizen scientists.
Ornithologists, hydrologists, storytellers, trail builders. Led by Dr. Mara Ellison & elder advisor Joseph Whitefish.
Join the crew →Five ways we
heal a basin
Dam removals & fish ladders
14 barriers gone. Salmon, lamprey and dace migrate again. Underwater cams stream spawning live each October.
Explore miles →Marshes that drink floods
1,240 acres rewetted. One marsh stores 2M m³ floodwater — protecting 3 downstream villages for free.
How marshes work →10,000 willows a year
Volunteers plant black poplar, alder, oak. Survival 87% thanks to beaver-mimicry watering.
Plant with us →Otter, lynx & osprey watch
320 camera traps + eDNA + drones. Every sighting verified and published in open atlas.
Meet residents →River classrooms
48 schools, 6,200 kids yearly. Dip nets, microscopes, mud. No grades — just wonder.
Book a class →Dark-sky sanctuary
Zero light pollution over 18,000 acres. Owl prowls, bat counts, Milky Way canoe trips.
Night tours →Before / after
is unreal.
People of
the basin
“My farm flooded every spring. Since RBUWC rewetted the upper marsh, water stays upstream and my soil is richer. I lease 40 acres to cranes now.”
“I came for a weekend planting and stayed three years. I’ve seen lynx tracks, released salmon fry, slept under owls. This place rewires you.”
“As a biologist, data here is gold: open, continuous, honest — even failures published. Our eDNA paper cited RBUWC 14 times.”
Fresh from
the riverbank
No field notes yet — the river is writing.
Check back after the next dawn survey. Meanwhile explore our programs.
Come get muddy. Leave rewilded.
Boardwalks, floating hides, canoe loops, night safaris. Dogs on leash welcome. HQ at Blackwillow Bend — coffee, maps, microscopes.
Questions?
Answered.
Everything about access, dogs, fishing, volunteering and donations. Still curious? Write to us below.
Say hello
to the herons.
HQ: Blackwillow Bend, River Mile 38, open 9–17 daily. Rangers answer messages Mon–Sat.