We are Mckenzie river trust
The McKenzie River Trust is a nonprofit land trust formed in 1989 to protect critical habitats and scenic lands in the McKenzie River basin. Today, our service area includes the watersheds of the Long Tom, Upper Willamette, Coast and Middle Forks of the Willamette, Umpqua, Siuslaw, and coastal headlands, rivers, streams, and lakes from Reedsport to Lincoln City.
Throughout our history, we have partnered with caring landowners, our members, foundations, and partner organizations to protect, forever, land and water in western Oregon.
- 10,000+ acres protected
- More than a million trees and shrubs planted
- 25 miles of Salmon bearing streams restored
protecting land and water
McKenzie River Trust works with willing landowners to protect and care for more than 10,000 acres of land for fish, wildlife, water quality, and the people of Western Oregon.
Connecting people to place
Each year, McKenzie River Trust members, volunteers, business supporters, schools, and community groups give their time and resources to help protect and care for the lands and rivers we cherish in western Oregon.
restoring natural systems
From the Cascade Mountains to the Oregon coast, McKenzie River Trust works with partners across the region to design and implement large-scale restoration projects for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and people of western Oregon. With your help, we’re leaving the land better than we found it.
Sustaining our mission
The work of land trusts is forever work. That’s why we rely on the incredible care of community members like you to help us not only advance, but sustain our mission over time. There are so many ways to get involved. We hope you will join us.
Explore our work by Region
From the Field
Submit Your Story – On This Land 2025
Celebrate your connection to place through our annual winter writers series. On This Land showcases local poets and nonfiction authors as they probe what it means to be “on this land.” Submissions are due by Wednesday, January 22nd for consideration for our public reading on Sunday, February 23rd
35 Years Caring for Oregon’s Lands and Rivers
35 years ago, a small group of neighbors who cared deeply about the health of the McKenzie River came together to preserve its exceptional water quality, founding McKenzie River Trust in 1989. At that time, local couple Ann and Dave Fidanque were busy raising their family. On weekends, they would immerse their children in nature, regularly spending time at a US Forest Service cabin on the upper McKenzie River. By the early 1990s, the family considered the upper McKenzie an extension of their home, so when a clearcut was proposed for a hillside just across the river, Ann and others were concerned about the area’s future and what such actions may mean for the river’s health.
27 Acres Returned to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians at Cape Foulweather
In a historic land transaction, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians regained ownership of 27 acres of their ancestral homelands at Cape Foulweather on the central Oregon coast. The return of the land capstones a multi-year collaboration to protect the land’s ecological, cultural and scenic values.
Join us on the land
Our Power is Our People
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Dive deeper and join our digital newsletter list today. Our twice-monthly newsletter delivers the stories and opportunities you care about most at a frequency that won't bog down your inbox. From the latest in land and water conservation to upcoming events, and field notes about Oregon's beloved plants and animals, our newsletters aim to engage and inspire. We hope you'll join us.
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McKenzie River Trust
Eugene Office: 725 W 1st Ave, STE B, Eugene, OR 97402
Newport Office: 914 SW Coast Hwy. Newport, OR 97365
Mailing Address: PO Box 1451 Eugene OR 97440
Phone: (541) 345-2799
Email: info@mckenzieriver.org