PR Case Study: Western Rivers Conservancy Blue Creek Land Transfer
Challenge
Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) faced a complex communications challenge around announcing the largest land back initiative in California history – the transfer of 47,000 acres of the Blue Creek property to the Yurok Tribe. This announcement, 23 years in the making, represented the organization’s biggest milestone. The announcement was delayed from late 2024 to June 2025 due to the deal’s intricacy and numerous partners involved.
The extended timeline created significant obstacles. The client needed to maintain an embargo for months longer than anticipated while managing relationships with embargoed media and small, niche environmental outlets that wanted to break the story early, which would have severely limited the announcement’s reach.
Strategy
Having worked primarily with local outlets, WRC needed an external communications partner to tell their story nationally. Landis developed a strategy that balanced relationship management with maximizing media impact. This included creating a careful approach to work with long-standing media partners while preserving broader coverage opportunities. The team framed the announcement within the larger narrative of land back initiatives to Native tribes, leveraging Landis’ expertise in permanent protection of natural lands and existing relationships with tribal communities.
Tactics
Landis worked directly with WRC to guide them through conversations with their long-standing niche media partners, helping them understand how early coverage would compromise broader reach. The team secured embargoed interest from several national target outlets, including Associated Press (AP), San Francisco Chronicle, Grist, and Mongabay to hit the ground running. Despite the remote location, the team coordinated with AP to arrange an on-site media visit for three journalists – an exceptional commitment of resources. Landis crafted messaging that emphasized both regional ecosystem impact and positioned the initiative as a model for conservation efforts nationwide.
Results
The campaign achieved exceptional results that far exceeded typical nonprofit announcement metrics. WRC received more than 335 pieces of coverage with a total potential reach exceeding 1.1 billion. The coverage spanned local, national, and international media, including top-tier American outlets critical for nonprofit fundraising.
The campaign successfully elevated WRC from primarily local coverage to national conservation leadership, strengthening the organization’s fundraising position during a challenging period for environmental nonprofits. The team’s approach demonstrates how strategic PR can amplify an organization’s mission and create lasting impact.