Improvements Underway at the Finn Rock Boat Landing
Exciting changes are underway for the McKenzie River recreation community! Beginning in November 2023, McKenzie River Trust broke ground on a large-scale improvement project for the Finn Rock Boat Landing. Generously funded through the Oregon State Parks Recreational Trails and Permits grant program, investments from the Lane County Parks Levy, and the generous support of private donors, large and small; this project will have wide-reaching benefits for recreational river users and commercial outfitters alike.
Submit Your Story – On This Land 2024
Celebrate your connection to place through our annual winter writers series. On This Land is an annual event showcasing local poets and authors. 2024 submissions are due by Sunday, February 11th for consideration for our public reading on Sunday, March 3rd.
Celebrating 20 Years at Green Island
In 2023, McKenzie River Trust celebrated the 20th anniversary of the purchase of Green Island. This celebration gave us time to pause and reflect on the many hands who have helped us to put love into the land and the incredible story of how people came together to restore nearly a thousand acres of land where the McKenzie and Willamette rivers meet.
An Outdoors for Everybody
McKenzie River Trust has partnered with the Gleasons and local volunteer John Helmer to deepen our investments in programs that connect people of all abilities to the lands we protect. Through programs like “Nature Your Way,” limited mobility bus tours held in partnership with Willamalane and the City of Eugene, and adaptive recreation trainings for volunteers and tour guides, we’re expanding the reach of our outreach programs so that everybody, no matter their ability can connect with the lands and rivers they cherish in western Oregon.
Leaving a Legacy for Land and Water
Local couple Judy and David Berg have always had a passion for the natural world. To help preserve the lands they love, they’ve made the decision to dedicate a portion of their estate to advance the mission of McKenzie River Trust.
Perspectives on Land
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.
Young Farmers Grow at the Berggren Watershed Conservation Area
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.
Poems for the Planet
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.
Dearest McKenzie River
“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.”
Giving Thanks for Land and Water
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.