Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve
Easement
The McKenzie River Trust purchased a conservation easement on the property. Funding was provided by the Bonneville Power Administration and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program. The landowners, Doug and Linda Carnine, also donated a portion of the easement value.
The preserve provides a home for iconic Oregon white oak trees and Willamette Valley ponderosa pine, native birds, elks, deer, and more.
Meet the Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve
Why Its Important
The Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve Conservation Easement protects 294 acres of oak savannah and in the Long Tom River watershed. Seasonal creeks, rocky outcroppings, and a special forest management area provide a home for iconic Oregon white oak trees and Willamette Valley ponderosa pine, native birds, elks, deer, and more.
Wildlife on the property
The oak woodlands on the property make it a great home for many species of wildlife native to the Willamette Valley. Because of the loss of most of the oak savannah habitat in the region, the remaining oaks like those found on the Andrew Reasoner Widlife Preserve are increasingly important. Critical species on the property include acorn woodpecker, chipping sparrow, yellow-breasted chat, western bluebird, slender-billed nuthatch, Western gray squirrel, shaggy horkelia, and Hitchcock’s blue-eyed grass. Deer, bobcat, cougar, bear, rattlesnake, and many species of migratory birds also visit or make their homes on the property.
Visiting the Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve
You can come see the Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve for yourself. In fact, the landowners encourage it. “We ask people to give us a call,” says Linda Carnine. “It’s nice to know who’s out here.”
They ask that you access the property only on foot, and that dogs stay on leash. “Someone spotted a family of bobcats up here, so we’re really trying to protect them,” she adds.
When you visit…
- Please do not block the gate.
- Please call before your visit.
- Please access on foot only.
- Please keep all dogs on leash.
Before your visit, please call Doug and Linda Carnine to let them know you are coming: 541-485-3781
Address: 84731 Lorane Highway, Eugene OR 97405 – note that the address is approximate. There is no mailbox but look for the Andrew Reasoner Wildlife Preserve sign (pictured above) and the small pull-out by the locked gate. Do not block the gate.
Dedicated to Andy
Andrew “Andy” Reasoner, the preserve’s namesake, was MRT’s first Conservation Director from 2005 to 2007. Andrew’s enthusiasm for life extended to his community, family, and work as MRT’s first ever Conservation Director from 2005 to 2007. A warm, energetic and caring person, Andy was able to connect with anyone, from the youngest child to the most skeptical landowner.Andy’s friend Darin Stringer has worked with the Carnine family for over a decade to support restoration of their land. Andy lived next door to the property and often hiked there. “He was such an avid outdoorsman,” said Darin. As a neighbor “he was really interested in seeing the property conserved.”
Andy passed away in 2007 after battling cancer. When Darin suggested that the Carines dedicate the preserve to Andy, it seemed a fitting tribute. That is even more true now, as the conservation easement will forever protect a place that Andy loved.
