Policy Priorities
Photo by Micheal Drewry
Policy Platform
In state and federal policy issues, we represent the interests of land trusts and work to advance conservation in Oregon. The 2026 Oregon short Legislative session will last approximately 35 days.
COLT’s work will focus on defending funding for land trust programs & policies, supporting Oregon’s land use system, and engaging with Oregon’s agencies to represent land trust priorities & interests. At the same time, we will work to remain nimble to respond to emerging opportunities or threats to conservation programs for tribal and conservation partners.
Each year, COLT’s Government Relations Committee drafts a policy platform that is voted on and approved by all COLT members at our December member meeting.
Top Oregon Policy Priorities
2026
Due to impacts from H.R. 1 and a $63 million deficit for the 2025-2027 budget , the Joint Ways and Means Committee has asked Oregon’s agencies to submit 2.5% and 5% reductions options across all sources of funding.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) cuts propose a 2.5% and 5% budget reduction for the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP). As a reminder, COLT worked during the 2025 legislative session to successfully secure $2 million in grant funding for OAHP. The proposed cuts would mean a $68,491 or $136,983 cut to OAHP grant funding.
OWEB’s Drinking Water Source Protection Grant program provides funding to water suppliers to protect, restore and enhance sources of drinking water through land acquisition and conservation. So far, the program has approved $5 million to help six communities protect more than 5,000 acres of their forested watersheds that supply local drinking water.
The program did not receive additional grant funding in 2025, and due to the budget constraints of the upcoming session, advocates are not planning to introduce another funding bill in 2026.
Instead, COLT will partner with Sustainable Northwest to continue education on the importance of the program with hopes of advocating for additional funding in the 2027 long session.
Since 2024, COLT and our members have been engaging with the OWEB Acquisitions, Restoration, and Emerging Issues (ARE) Committee to modernize the Measure 76 land acquisition grant program.
In 2026, our coalition will continue engagement with OWEB leadership, staff and members of the ARE Committee to improve the effectiveness of the Measure 76 land acquisition program. You can view previous meeting recordings and COLT testimony under OWEB Committee Meetings & Materials.
This session, COLT is supporting efforts led by a coalition of conservation organizations to increase the state Transient Lodging Tax from 1.5% to 2.75% to fund non-game species conservation at the Oregon Department of FIsh and Wildlife.
The effort, led by Rep. Ken Helm (D-Beaverton), will also fund anti-poaching efforts, invasive species response, wildlife connectivity and the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund. You can learn more about 1% for Wildlife here.
Top Federal Policy Priorities
2026
Due to Trump Administration’s proposals to cut conservation funding across federal multiple agencies, COLT will work in 2026 to defend against cuts and attacks to cornerstone conservation programs including:
In ending the longest government shutdown in history, the Senate passed another 1 year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill through September 30, 2026. Combined with Farm Bill programs funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), most Farm Bill programs are funded through at least September of 2026.
COLT will continue to advocate in support of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
The Forest Legacy program protects our iconic forest landscapes from fragmentation and conversion, providing critical habitat for wildlife, offering recreation for people, supporting local economies, protecting community drinking water, and enhancing our resilience to climate change.
In 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) was signed into law, permanently authorizing $900 million annually in permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Despite signing the GAOA into law, the Trump Administration’s FY2026 budget proposed redirecting $387 million from LWCF for deferred maintenance - in direct contradiction to provisions in the Great American Outdoors Act. COLT will work in 2026 to ensure full funding for LWCF. You can learn more about LWCF’s impact in Oregon here.
The Trump Administration’s FY2026 budget also proposed eliminating funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF).
The PCSRF provides funding to states and tribes to protect, restore, and conserve Pacific salmon and steelhead fish populations. In Oregon, PCSRF funds a significant portion of OWEB’s budget. Of the $925 million invested in habitat conservation in Oregon since 2000, around $295 million has come from PCSRF. COLT will work to defend funding for this critical program in 2026.
The Future of Conservation Must Include Tribal Land Return
We’re glad to see The Oregonian digging into the conversation of land justice in Oregon, the different paths it can take, and the real tensions that come with getting there.In two recent articles, the paper reported that five Oregon Tribes are pursuing federal legislation that would transfer specific public lands into tribal ownership. Some conservation groups are […]
Steps toward Reconciliation: On Oregon’s Central Coast, the Amanda Trail Peace Hike honors the past while strengthening partnerships between Tribal communities, the City of Yachats and View the Future
More than 200 people gather inside the Yachats Commons on a foggy New Year’s morning, coastal gray softening sound and blurring the horizon. Some settle into chairs, others stand in small clusters, hands wrapped around steaming cups of coffee and tea as they blink away sleep. A few drift in with damp, wind-tousled hair, trading […]
Stewardship Beyond the Land: At Disaster Peak Ranch, Oregon Desert Land Trust and Western Rivers Conservancy show that ecosystems thrive when relationships are nurtured
For generations, the Zimmerman family stewarded an expansive 2,690-acre ranch along the Oregon-Nevada border now known as Disaster Peak Ranch. Year after year, they ran cattle across the landscape, tending springs, streams, and sagebrush valleys that sustained both livestock and wildlife. Arnie Zimmerman, one of several brothers involved in the operation, helped manage the ranch […]
News Policy Priorities
Oregon Land Trust Leaders Take Conservation Priorities to Capitol Hill
Press Release: OWEB Approves Funding to Permanently Protect 3,752 Acres of Working Farms and Ranches
What Happened in the 2026 Oregon Legislative Session? Key Takeaways for Conservation
Oregon 2026 Short Session: 3 Things to Know and COLT’s Policy Priorities
Experiencing Conservation in Action: COLT’s 2025 Legislative Land Tours
2025 Legislative Wrap Up: A Tough Session for Natural Resources
Legislature Recommends $2 Million Investment in Farmland Protection
New Law Keeps Oregon’s Outdoors Open to All
Oregon’s Working Lands Get a Boost with $5 Million in Conservation Funding
Your 2025 Guide to Oregon’s Legislative Session
New NRCS Funding Resource Available
Press release—Oregon Farms & Ranch Lands Receive Critical Investment This Session
Press release—Recreational Immunity Safeguarded in Oregon
How We’re Advancing Land Conservation in the 2024 Short Session
Press release—$10.7 million coming to Oregon to protect forest land
Legislative Wrap Up: Big Wins for the Environment and the Continued Fight for OAHP
Press release—Oregon legislature approves new $5 million fund to protect community drinking water
