Reimagine the River
More than 400 people gathered in person and online to join 1803 Fund, Ecotrust, and Willamette Falls Trust for the Reimagine the River 2026 Symposium,
and what a day it was!
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Tribal leaders, government representatives, nonprofit organizations, service agencies, and the community came together to explore and share concerns and ideas on how to reimagine, restore, and reconnect with the Willamette.
Inspirational, informative, and inspired conversations could be heard at every table.
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Keep the momentum going by joining with PLACE for the newly launched Reimagine Webinar Series. Information can be found in the Reimagine the River online program (link below).
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Thank you!
Building a Coalition: What's Next? Ronda Rutledge, Ecotrust Rukaiyah Adams, 1803 Fund Kate Brown, Willamette Falls Trust ​
Willamette Falls Trust Board Member, Robert Kentta -Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians provides closing comments
Building a Coalition: What's Next? Ronda Rutledge, Ecotrust Rukaiyah Adams, 1803 Fund Kate Brown, Willamette Falls Trust ​
Reimagine the River Webinar Series extends the dialogue sparked by the symposium and the exhibition of the same title at PLACE, bringing together designers, scientists, advocates, chefs, and cultural leaders from around the world to explore new relationships between people and water.Through a sequence of conversations from global waterfront design and river restoration to public access, cultural storytelling, and water-centered gastronomy, the series examines how rivers can move from landscapes of extraction toward living systems of stewardship.Grounded in the context of the Willamette River and informed by Indigenous perspectives and global examples, these conversations invite participants to imagine waterfronts as spaces of belonging, resilience, and shared responsibility for generations to come.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 2026 | Time TBD
Willie Levenson
Human Access Project
May TBD, 2026 River Access Willie Levenson | Human Access Project Willie Levenson is the founder and executive director of the Human Access Project, a Portland nonprofit dedicated to transforming the Willamette River into a welcoming space for swimming, recreation, and community life. Through advocacy, storytelling, and public events, his work has helped reshape how Portlanders experience their river. Levenson’s efforts have played a key role in improving river access and inspiring a renewed culture of stewardship along the Willamette. This webinar will explore how public access can transform relationships between cities and their rivers. Willie Levenson shares lessons from Portland’s growing river culture and how community-driven initiatives can reconnect people with living waterways.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Reimagine the River 2026
Event Hosts
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