Partners Break Ground on Tidal Wetland Restoration Project 10 Years in the Making
A decade after McKenzie River Trust, purchased 217-acre Waite Ranch in the Siuslaw Estuary, partners are breaking ground on a large-scale restoration project. Led by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI), the project will improve salmon and shorebird habitat, contribute to regional climate resilience, and provide a place for local Tribal citizens and families to celebrate and promote Indigenous culture on their ancestral lands.
Property Donation Protects Coho Salmon Habitat on Oregon Coast
In March of 2023, the Estergard family donated 85 of their original 300 acres of farmland on the North Fork of the Siuslaw River to McKenzie River Trust. The site, located a few miles upstream from the confluence with the mainstem Siuslaw River, provides important habitat for native species including Coho Salmon, lamprey, and waterfowl.
Conserving Cherished Places on Oregon’s Coast
Working in collaboration with our partners, McKenzie River Trust protected Cape Foulweather in August 2022 as an interim landowner. We’ll hold the property until it can be transferred to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the coming years.
Researchers Track Purple Martins Migratory Path
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.
Tidal Wetlands Critical for Climate Resiliency on the Oregon Coast
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.
Wren Marsh a Key to Conservation on the Coast
Habitat Protected 10 Years Ago Expands with a Strategic Purchase In 2010, we acquired a 210-acre property between Florence and Mapleton known as Waite Ranch. This land is adjacent to Highway 126 and just upstream of Cushman Landing. It’s identified as a conservation priority because of the variety of habitat types that could be restored…
Two lost birds, plenty of bird habitat
While Waite Ranch awaits restoration, sedge wrens visit MRT’s former board president Roger Robb was conducting a bird count at the Trust’s Waite Ranch property, on the lower Siuslaw River, in December when he saw a little brown wren, one that didn’t look quite like the Pacific or marsh wrens he expected to see in…
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Regain Salmon-Bearing Wetlands in Ancestral Homeland
The purchase of the Fivemile Creek property restores Tribe’s ancestral homeland while protecting critical coho salmon habitat.