In 2021, with the support of members like you, McKenzie River Trust deepened our investments to protect and care for land and water on Oregon’s central coast. Soon after opening our coast office in the summer of 2021, we learned of an immediate need from partners at the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and Lincoln County. A 27- acre property located off of highway 101 was on the open market and at risk of development.
Working in collaboration with our partners, McKenzie River Trust was able to secure a bridge loan to purchase the property as an interim landowner in August of this year. We’ll hold the property until it can be transferred to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the coming years. The property, known as Cape Foulweather, is at the heart of Siletz territory, and adjoins Otter Crest State Scenic Viewpoint just north of Newport, OR. Nearby Marine Gardens, State Parks and Marine Reserves highlight the abundance of this area for a variety of plants and animals.
In the intertidal zone of the Pacific Ocean, harbor seals congregate to rear their pups on the water’s edge. Nearby kelp forests provide important food and shelter for an abundance of marine life which flourishes in the ever changing tidescape. Jutting abruptly from the ocean, the property rises across steep and rare salt-spray meadows. These meadows provide critical habitat for threatened Oregon Silverspot Butterflies who rely on this niche habitat for food and breeding. In the upper reaches, meadows transition into dense stands of Spruce trees and native understory. These coastal habitats are at the heart of important cultural practices for the Siletz people.
To purchase the property, McKenzie River Trust used private donations, support from the Lincoln Land Legacy Program of Lincoln County and a low-interest loan from Craft3’s Conservation Bridge Fund. Over the coming year, we’ll work with good people like you to pay off that loan and seed funding for the long-term stewardship of this special place. The conservation of Cape Foulweather ensures ecological and cultural connections from land to sea, and weaves a tapestry of abundance across generations.
Growing Finn Rock Reach – 636 Acres Protected on the McKenzie River
McKenzie River Trust took a major step forward to safeguard our namesake river last week by purchasing 636 acres of former timberland in Finn Rock, OR. The protection project, which begins near the town of Blue River and ends near Nimrod, returns three parcels to a growing mosaic of conservation lands in the middle McKenzie River Valley.
245 Acres Protected Forever on the North Fork Siuslaw River
Efforts to protect estuarine wetlands in the lower Sisulaw River watershed got a big boost this month with the addition of 245 acres of conservation land. Protected through a partnership between The Nature Conservancy in Oregon and McKenzie River Trust, with support from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private donors, the area on the lower North Fork of the Siuslaw River provided the “missing piece of the puzzle” in a larger effort to promote a more resilient watershed through land protection and restoration activities.
Finn Rock Landing Reopens on the McKenzie River
McKenzie River recreationists are celebrating the re-opening of the Finn Rock Landing on the McKenzie River. One of the more popular launches for the McKenzie River’s whitewater opportunities, the Finn Rock Landing serves thousands of visitors annually. The improved landing, slated to reopen on Saturday, June 15th, was designed based on community feedback in partnership with Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architects. Work was completed by Delta Sand and Gravel Company and included creating defined parking spaces, pedestrian safety routes, places to gather out of traffic, and installing bird-friendly lighting.
Balancing Nature’s Needs and Our Need for Nature
Can you love something you’ve never seen? As a changing climate increases the need and opportunity for land and water conservation, an ongoing tension continues to grow between setting aside space for wildlife to be wild and providing recreational access to land. People and land need each other, but how can we interact with nature in a way that is additive to clean water, habitat abundance, and thriving communities? That is an ongoing question McKenzie River Trust wrestles with as we work to care for land and water in western Oregon.
Partners Resume Restoration on the Siuslaw River Estuary
Partners from the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Siuslaw Watershed Council, and McKenzie River Trust are preparing for a second season of restoration on the Siuslaw River at Waite Ranch. Beginning in summer 2023, the tidal restoration project is working to return around 200 acres of estuarine wetlands to the Siuslaw River system.
Birding By Ear – Songs of Spring with Charlie Quinn
In 1995, I was volunteering at The Nature Conservancy as a bird researcher and hike leader, just before getting my first paid job as a field trip coordinator that fall. My first volunteer project in Oregon was working on the production of a birding by ear guide. This guide was created to teach high school students how to aurally identify birds in bird surveys for the Audubon Society of Portland’s Green City Data Program. Now, nearly thirty years later, this guide as been transferred from cassette to cd, cd to mp3, and is now matched with photos of each species to continue sharing my love of birding.