Who We Are
The East Cascades Oak Partnership (ECOP) is a collaborative effort to understand and care for Oregon white oak habitats in the Columbia River Gorge and East Cascades.
Partners include tribes, state and federal agencies, nonprofits, local businesses and interested members of the communities we work in. With over 300 members and counting, anyone who wants to learn about and care for oaks in the East Cascades can become a member. That includes you! 
Our Region
ECOP serves nearly the full geography of Oregon white oak extent in the East Cascades ecoregion, an area roughly bounded by the Yakama Indian Reservation to the north, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon to the south, the Cascade Mountains to the west, and the shrub-steppe of the Columbia Plateau to the east.
How we are structured
Community Members
People and organizations who choose to receive our newsletter or who engage in ECOP events are considered members of our community. Members need only be willing to learn and share their perspectives and observations to participate. Small businesses, private landowners, or interested citizens - all are essential to the success of our initiatives.
Core Partners
Alongside community members, core partners sign a formal declaration of cooperation, participate in working groups and events, and provide strategic vision for the partnership. Interested organizations should reach out to Oaks@ColumbiaLandTrust.org for more information about how to become a core partner.
Steering Committee
Our steering committee ensures the partnership operates according to its guidance documents, supporting budget and workplan alignment with the strategic plan. Steering committee members come from partner organizations, bringing decades of experience and leadership to the table.
Administrative Sponsor
Columbia Land Trust is proud to serve as the partnership’s fiscal and administrative sponsor, housing ECOP’s staff including the ECOP Program Manager, Technical Coordinator, and Grants and Communications Coordinator. The Land Trust manages partnership grants, convenes partners and working groups, hosts a centralized database and website, manages brand deployment, and facilitates partner meetings and strategic planning.
Columbia Land Trust leads collaborative conservation efforts with neighbors, tribes, farmers, foresters, and others to protect and strengthen the most important ecosystems along the lower Columbia River, in both Oregon and Washington, from east of The Dalles to the Pacific Ocean. The conservation they achieve is permanent and they’re committed to taking care of these lands forever.
OWEB Focused Investment Partnership
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s Focused Investment Partnership(FIP) Program is an innovative funding program empowering high-functioning partnerships to implement landscape scale conservation of Oregon’s priority species and habitats. It has catalyzed momentum for ECOP’s work, supporting restoration, monitoring, and engagement efforts across the East Cascades.
As the fiscal and administrative sponsor for the ECOP FIP, Columbia Land Trust stewards, and often sponsors, many applications through the FIP. This strategic structure ensures partners who may otherwise be unable to interface with the program can meaningfully participate in strategic conservation initiatives.
Our Partners
County / Local
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Wasco County Forest Collaborative
State
Federal
Non-governmental Organizations
Academic Partners
Local Businesses
Regional
ECOP Funders
Collaboration and a shared vision for oak conservation is key to landscape scale change. Not only have restoration professionals and local landowners joined on to this powerful effort, but funders are also recognizing they can have an unparalleled impact on the longevity and wellness of these incredible habitats. Learn more about the benefits of investing in oaks.
This mission depends on community support and collaboration. THANK YOU to all who support this incredible effort from personal contributions to landscape-scale funding, including from:
Our Core Partners
