Almost all of Oregon’s coastal communities face water insecurity. Regionally steep terrain and shallow soils limit groundwater storage, so most residents get their water from in-stream intakes. These intakes are usually sufficient, but when populations triple due to summer tourism, the systems become strained.
Since 2020, we’ve been working with a broad coalition of partners to identify solutions to the coast’s drinking water challenges. Supported by a new grant program through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), leaders across Oregon’s central coast are developing and implementing Drinking Water Protection Plans that identify threats to drinking water and opportunities to address them. Strategies include acquiring land in watersheds the public relies on, developing cooperative land management models, and investing in infrastructure to improve water storage and movement between communities.
These efforts are being uplifted across Oregon’s coastal communities, with Land Trusts at the table as transaction specialists who can support communities in acquiring land or protecting it through conservation easements. Central Coast Conservation Program Manager Margaret Treadwell explains that to improve water quality and storage capacity, forests in drinking watersheds must be safeguarded and allowed to mature through their natural cycles. “To put it simply, a healthy forest is a natural reservoir.”
We are honored to work alongside a diverse range of partners to tackle one of our region’s most pressing threats. Thank you to all of our supporters who invest in this important work with your annual memberships. Together, we can safeguard clean drinking water for Oregonians today and for generations to come.
Spring Chinook Salmon: the fish who feed our forests
Each fall, spring Chinook salmon return to the McKenzie River carrying nutrients gathered during years at sea. Follow their remarkable journey between river, ocean, and forest, and discover why giving rivers room to roam is critical to the next generation of salmon.
Bringing back good fire, together
This fall, McKenzie River Trust and local partners are working together to safely return prescribed fire to conservation lands across the Eugene-Springfield area. Careful planning, weather monitoring, and regional coordination help make each burn possible.
Shaped by Water: Freshwater Sponges found at Green Island
Beneath the surface of Green Island’s side channels, an unexpected animal is thriving. Freshwater sponges that build delicate skeletons of microscopic glass around the rivers’ flow. These fascinating animals filter the river through their bodies and can glow electric green with the help of algae. Their discovery has opened a window into a strange and largely unseen freshwater world where an animal completely different than ourselves is making its home among the current.