Making an Impact
Small steps make big differences
Your support is making a difference for the lands and waters of western oregon.
Protecting Land, Together
McKenzie River Trust works with willing landowners to help protect and care for Oregon’s lands and rivers. As a local land trust, we offer several tools to help landowners protect their land from the Cascades to the Coast in Lane, Douglas, and Lincoln counties.
A Caring Community
Simply put, our volunteers are amazing. Each year, hundreds of community members like you join in to help protect and care for land and water from the Cascades to the Coast. Volunteers plant trees, remove invasive plant species, lead tours on protected lands, conduct species surveys, and more. Individuals, families, groups, and business groups are all welcome to volunteer!
Investing in our Future
As a nonprofit organization, McKenzie River Trust relies on the generous support of members like you. Each year, nearly 2000 households across western Oregon make the incredible choice to invest in clean water, abundant fish and wildlife habitat, and thriving communities. We invite you to join us in the good work by becoming a member of McKenzie River Trust today.
Restoring Natural Systems
McKenzie River Trust cares deeply for the land, water, animals, and people in our communities. We take an innovative approach to restoration working with experts from across the field to design and implement large-scale projects that benefit fish and wildlife. From upland oak prairies to streams and coastal estuaries, we’re working to enhance habitat for Oregon’s threatened and endangered species.
From the Field
News from the Field
35 Years Caring for Oregon’s Lands and Rivers
35 years ago, a small group of neighbors who cared deeply about the health of the McKenzie River came together to preserve its exceptional water quality, founding McKenzie River Trust in 1989. At that time, local couple Ann and Dave Fidanque were busy raising their family. On weekends, they would immerse their children in nature, regularly spending time at a US Forest Service cabin on the upper McKenzie River. By the early 1990s, the family considered the upper McKenzie an extension of their home, so when a clearcut was proposed for a hillside just across the river, Ann and others were concerned about the area’s future and what such actions may mean for the river’s health.
27 Acres Returned to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians at Cape Foulweather
In a historic land transaction, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians regained ownership of 27 acres of their ancestral homelands at Cape Foulweather on the central Oregon coast. The return of the land capstones a multi-year collaboration to protect the land’s ecological, cultural and scenic values.
283 Acres of Rare Oak and Prairie Habitat Protected Forever in Eugene’s Ridgeline Area
In early September McKenzie River Trust ensured the permanent protection of 243 acres of rare oak woodland and savanna habitat just outside Eugene, OR. The project builds on initial conservation efforts in 2022, which leveraged membership donations to protect 40 adjacent acres for fish and wildlife habitat. Long identified by area partners as a potential “anchor” site in the ridgeline area, the South Fork Spencer Creek conservation area builds on the City of Eugene’s open space protection efforts, contributing significant habitat to the wildlife corridor.