Mark Long, managing partner at regional law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, recently joined the board of The Freshwater Trust.

“I am extremely excited to have someone of Mark’s legal caliber and business stature on our board,” said Joe Whitworth, president of The Freshwater Trust. “Mark’s involvement will be a key component in our organization’s future success.”

One of the major roles that Long will play as a board member for The Freshwater Trust is to assemble operational strategies for continued growth of the organization. Long’s decision to join the organization is rooted in his personal passion for the organization’s mission, which is to restore and protect entire freshwater ecosystems.

“As a native Oregonian and as someone who has grown up benefiting from the area’s wonderful rivers, I feel a strong connection to preservation and conservation,” said Long. “The Fresh Water Trust has fantastic leadership with an excellent board that represents a wonderful cross section of the local community. They are an action-oriented organization that has an amazing ability to get things done and I am excited to be part of the team.”

As managing partner for Schwabe, Long oversees a variety of management roles for the firm in addition to his practice, which focuses in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, business transactions, corporate finance and corporate counseling. In addition to his new role with The Freshwater Trust, Long currently serves on the board of directors of the Oregon Business Association and is an active member of its Health Policy Committee. He also is a member of the board of directors of Saturday Academy, and is active on behalf of Metropolitan Family Services, serving on its Investment Committee. He is also a former board member of Loaves and Fishes.

The Freshwater Trust’s goal is to return health to every river and stream in the state, and using Oregon as a laboratory, building the tools needed to fix every river in the country. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 30,000 of Oregon’s 115,000 miles of rivers and streams fail to fully support aquatic life. By keeping water instream, accelerating restoration efforts, and educating the next generation of stewards, The Freshwater Trust seeks to achieve healthy water today and ensure it for tomorrow.