In hopes of saving a species, Dr. Sarah Rockwell, a Research Biologist with the Klamath Bird Observatory, is set on finding out where west coast populations of Purple Martins overwinter.
Maintaining oak savanna and prairie habitats plays a key role in species conservation and ecological reinvigoration. In the Willamette Valley, less than 3% of oak savanna and less than 7% of oak woodlands remain.
Coastal habitat conservation is essential for helping tidal wetlands sequester blue carbon effectively. Smart investments in tidal wetland restoration today are critical for a stable climate future on Oregon’s central coast.
McKenzie River Trust works at the intersection of people and place. Across the conservation sector, our collective understanding of exactly what that means is deepening through the intentional probing of our history on the land and the impacts of settler colonialism on communities of non-European descent in the United States.
Adam and Kelly of Willow & Oak Farm and Barn Swallow Blossoms are currently in their first growing season at McKenzie River Trust’s Berggren Watershed Conservation Area, a property protected by MRT in 2010. This partnership between McKenzie River Trust and local farmers represents a unique cross-over between conservation efforts and sustainable agriculture.
As a result of recent wildfires across the West, significant portions of the Willamette and adjacent forests have burned. This disturbance offers a unique opportunity for land owners and managers to seed pollinator forbs into open areas caused by the burn.
From the headwaters of the McKenzie River to quiet spaces inside each of us, McKenzie River Trust members share their poems for the planet as a part of our winter writers series.
“Just as a snag in an old-growth forest continues to serve forest dwellers so will you continue to support those that depend upon you; the salmon, the elk, and others. Love doesn’t disappear with appearance.”
McKenzie River Trust is collecting love letters to the lands and rivers of Oregon. We invite you to join us in reflection and appreciation of all our natural world provides. From the mountains and coastlines, rivers and swamps, lands far away, and birds in the backyard, join us in honoring all that our natural world provides.
As we hunker down for the darker days ahead, overwintering birds bring delight as they gather the seeds and bugs of fall to sustain them through the coming cold. Here’s our winter backyard bird list for you to enjoy!
One year after devastating wildfires and a summer of unprecedented drought, the first Spring Chinook salmon have arrived at the spawning ground in the McKenzie River near the Finn Rock Reach restoration project to complete the cycle of life for this iconic species.
Floodplain restoration work at Finn Rock Reach more than doubles available spawning ground for Spring Chinook Salmon.