Shortly after purchasing a small tract of land outside of Yachats, Oregon, Anice Thigpen was busy moving in. Winding along the mid-coast highway, where the road dips and rises between beaches and cliffs, her small truck swayed through the curves.
“I suddenly realized that a window in the back was rolled down,” she explains. “I called back at the dogs, Johnnie Roux and Frankie Sue, and realized Frankie was gone.”
Anxiously retracing her path, Anice was reunited with Frankie thanks to a young couple who had found her after she silently sprang from the truck.
“It was such an emotional moment, to suddenly have a lost dog. I was so grateful for their care,” recalls Anice. “They didn’t have to stop and help; they didn’t have to wait with me and provide reassurance.”
Wanting to reciprocate their kindness, she asked how she could repay them. Getting nowhere, she rephrased the question: “What do you care about?” Without hesitation, the young woman replied, “Conservation.”
Transforming Gratitude into Action
That moment stayed with her.
“We had gotten involved with McKenzie River Trust a few years before through volunteering,” her wife, Andrea Halliday, explained. “We started with a modest donation, but over the years, the amount continued to grow. After that moment with Frankie, we decided to increase our commitment, both in honor of these young people and because we could see the tangible impact of our dollars.”
Their giving reflects both gratitude and a deeper awareness of the moment we are living in.
“Climate change feels fast, and it’s accelerating,” describes Anice. “It’s also non-linear, and that is a really difficult concept. We have children and grandchildren, and it’s worrisome to imagine how they’ll navigate the world we’re leaving them.”
Finding Home in Oregon
Longtime partners in both life and work, Andrea and Anice met through their careers—Andrea as a neurosurgeon and Anice in biochemical research studying pituitary gland tissues.
In 2005, they moved their family from Texas to Oregon in search of safety and stability.
Anice explains, “During that time, gay and lesbian families were being targeted in the news, similarly to trans people today. Following several encounters that left us feeling very unsafe, we decided it was best for our family to move.”
They quickly built new careers and a sense of belonging in the Pacific Northwest.
“We love it here,” beams Andrea. “The forest streams, mountains, and access to nature are so inspiring. Oregon is such a beautiful place, and the more we can conserve it, the better.”
A Deep Connection to Place
Now retired, both spend their time immersed in the arts and the outdoors, with a particular love for the Oregon coast.
“The coast is such a special place. The temperate rainforest, spruce trees, the smell, it’s all so special,” shares Anice. “Since moving here, it also feels mostly unchanged. You can still go to incredible places like Gwynn Creek, where you’re surrounded by stunning, huge trees. The undergrowth is lush and vibrant, and it feels like you’re held in time.”
But even in places that appear unchanged, shifts are underway.
“Everything is feeling stressed, but to see it revealed in these temperate rainforests and our ocean, to feel climate change happening in real time, the loss of sea stars and kelp forests, the drying of forest floors. It’s devastating.”
Loss and Legacy
A composer at heart, Anice has turned to art to process these changes. Her latest work, a musical titled WaterWorks, is set in the Oregon Coast Range and will show from May 1st to May 3rd at Lane Community College.
In alignment with their values, the couple chose to direct proceeds from the musical drama to McKenzie River Trust, inspired by our conservation work along the mid-coast.
“We consider the Trust as a great investment,” explains Andrea. “Every bit of land that supports biodiversity helps keep species from becoming extinct with climate change. We have to work beyond our carbon footprint, and conserving land is tangible; anyone can do it.”
An Invitation to Act
This Earth Day, Andrea and Anice hope to inspire others to take part. In addition to proceeds from WaterWorks, they’ve teamed up with Ancora Publishing to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000 through a special campaign.
“We believe in the work of McKenzie River Trust,” they share. “Every person we’ve met on the team feels like a real person with real capacities, empowered by the mission. The dollar value is clear, and the results of contributions are tangible. These are real places in our community that are now protected forever.”
But they emphasize that participation doesn’t have to start with giving.
“Figure out what you can do,” encourages Andrea. “Even a patio planter can help a bee, hummingbird, or butterfly not have to travel as far without food and rest. The continuity is so important, and everyone can do something in their own space to support it.”
Anice concurs, “Figure out what you can do, and don’t despair over what you can’t change.”
Working for the Seventh Bloom
Their outlook is grounded in both realism and hope.
Thinking back on their own restoration efforts, Andrea reflects on what’s possible over time:
“We began with nineteen acres of clear-cut in the valley, but now we have a diversified forest. We started expanding our conservation work to the mid-coast region a couple of years later. I’ve seen and felt the impacts of climate change, but I’ve also watched the trees grow. In our home, we say ‘we work for the seventh bloom.’ Though there certainly will be loss, we can pad it with our care and try not to take as many species down with us.”
Change is already here. But so is the opportunity to respond with care, intention, and action.
