History & Successes

The Wallowa Land Trust was formed in 2004 by Wallowa County citizens to work proactively with landowners and others to address the issue of increasing development pressures in the county, and to find ways to maintain the rural nature of the Wallowa Country. 

Land Conservation
Geographically, the Trust is strongly committed to securing the Wallowa Lake Moraines.  It played a crucial role in protecting the old Marr Ranch near Joseph on the Terminal Moraine of Wallowa Lake as Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site in 2007, and is now moving forward to secure other moraines properties.

In February 2011 the Trust closed on a 197-acre agricultural Conservation Easement at the Confluence of the Lostine and Wallowa Rivers on the Woody Wolfe Ranch, the site of the traditional Nez Perce summer camp in the middle valley. Currently, the Trust is negotiating Step Two of the easement to protect an additional 257 acres of the Woody Wolfe Ranch. Additionally, the Trust is working to acquire lands and Conservation Easements along the county's major waterways, and helping maintain working lands throughout the Wallowa Country.

Public Education
2007
    • Northeast Oregon's first ever Public Workshop on Conservation Easements
      Co-sponsored with Oregon Rangeland Trust, at Joseph Community Center & Wallowa Lake Lodge
2008
    • Wallowa Lake Moraines: Securing a Community Legacy
      Community-wide celebration & forum on the moraines of Wallowa Lake, plus premier gallery of lake & moraines-related art, and educational field outings (3 days); cosponsored with Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Dept, Oregon Dept. Fish & Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, Wallowa Resources and Wallowa Co. Board of Commissioners at the Joseph Community Center
2009
    • Spring lecture series
      Cultural, historical & natural resources programs, at Stage One & Fishtrap House, Enterprise
    • Into The Wallowa Summer Outings debut
      Free, half-day guided educational adventures to significant lands throughout the Wallowa Country
2010
    • Into The Wallowa Summer Outings (Year Two)
    • Heritage Farms & Ranches Project
      Celebrating the success of Wallowa County's Century Farms & Ranches, and helping ensure their economic and cultural vitality into the next century.  The project resulted in a booklet documenting some of the Century Farms & Ranches in the County.
    • Voluntary Conservation Agreements: Conservation Easements in Northeast Oregon
      A new brochure co-produced with sister land trust Blue Mountains Conservancy (La Grande)
2011
    • Into The Wallowa Summer Outings (Year Three)---greatest year yet with the addition of 3 evening lectures and over 420 participants!
    • Confluence Celebration & Annual Picnic
      Celebration & tour of the Trust's first conservation easement
    • Wallowa County In Transition: New Stories from the Old West
      Winter lecture series and panel discussions  co-sponsored by Wallowa Resources & Fishtrap
2012
    • Wallowa County In Transition: New Stories from the Old West
      Winter lecture series and panel discussions co-sponsored by Wallowa Resources & Fishtrap
    • Wallowa Lake Moraines: Legacy of Vanishing Landscapes
      A 40-page booklet with text by renowned geologist Ellen Morris Bishop, featuring photographs by David Jensen, Rick McEwan & many others, including the author

    • Into The Wallowa Summer Outings (Year Four)

    • Gaining Gound: Accelerating Land Conservation in Wallowa County
      WLT unveils its plan to grow the organization to meet local conservation needs

Organizational Capacity
Wallowa Land Trust, a member of the Land Trust Alliance, was founded in 2004 and now boasts a modest staff and office in historic downtown Enterprise. The Trust is supported primarily by family and individual donations, support from small business, and occasional grants.  WLT enjoys a robust group of volunteer experts, and recently initiated a legacy program and its first strategic planning process. WLT is also a charter member of the Coaltion of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) founded in 2011.