Vancouver-based Columbia Land Trust announced Thursday that it has agreed to merge with a smaller Portland-area land conservation organization.
Columbia will keep its name and Vancouver headquarters when it merges with Three Rivers Land Conservancy, which traces its history back to 1989, when a small group of individuals preserved a pony farm in Lake Oswego. Today, the organization targets conservation of land along the Tualatin, Clackamas and the lower Willamette rivers. It’s conserved about 30 properties totaling 700 acres, according to Thursday’s announcement.
Columbia Land Trust, since forming as a nonprofit organization in 1990, has conserved more than 90 properties spanning 10,000 acres. The trust conserves natural habitat, working forests and farmland threatened by development by buying land outright or securing conservation easements. Columbia has focused its efforts on conserving land along the Columbia River from the Cascades to the coast.
Glenn Lamb, Columbia Land Trust’s executive director, said Three Rivers is especially strong at promoting urban conservation.