Owens Farm Community Access
At Long Last - Moving Forward for Trails
Nature trails accessible to all people, no matter their mobility. A bike and pedestrian bridge over Highway 20 connecting a neighborhood with minimal access to open space Transportation connections creating safe routes to schools. Hospital patients and their families finding the healing power of nature right outside the door. Benton County history on display Habitat protection and restoration
Can all these things come together in one project?
The members of the Owens Farm Partnership think they can. “Yes, it’s a lofty vision. And yet we are witnessing first-hand this vision becoming a reality,” said Greenbelt Executive Director Jessica McDonald
Owens Farm-Jackson Frazier Wetlands is a sprawling landscape of nearly 500 acres straddling Hwy 99 just north of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Perched on the edge of Corvallis, Owens Farm acts as a green gateway into town, showcasing prairie, oak savanna and wetland habitats to all passerby. There are few places with such diverse values – endangered habitats, working farmland, historical resources, and adjacency to urban settings
For nearly 25 years this property has held the promise of public access, a commitment that was laid out to voters in the 2001 Open Space Bond Measure that facilitated the purchase of Owens Farm. Decades in the making, trails are finally on the horizon.
Why now? This moment of possibility is thanks to years of planning and community outreach. In 2018 the Owens Farm Partnership (Greenbelt Land Trust, City of Corvallis, Benton County, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center) came together to start afresh.
Owens Farm, contd page 1
The Partnership began to grapple with questions, such as:
What community challenges could be addressed through access at Owens Farm?
How can trails truly be created by and for those who face the most barriers to getting outdoors?
Are we thinking big enough?
OAK + PRAIRIE AT OWENS FARM
These questions led to a period of listening – hearing from community organizations, families, thought leaders – about what access means to them, and about how trails could be designed to be more inclusive and accessible for all. This input became the bedrock for the Owens FarmJackson Frazier Trail Plan, which has now entered a new phase as funders have started to step up to support the implementation of this access plan.
This Spring the Partners are celebrating receiving competitive grant awards from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for trail construction at Owens Farm, and from Oregon Department of Transportation for the design and engineering of a bicycle-pedestrian bridge to create a safe pathway over Hwy 99 and a connection to Jackson Frazier Wetland and Owens Farm.
$800,000 has been dedicated in grants funds to the project in the last year, and the Partners are embarking on additional fundraising to finalize trail development, restore historic structures on the property, and build a stewardship fund to manage the trail system in the long run.
Oak and prairie habitats are the focus for Greenbelt’s restoration goals across the 95 acres owned by the Land Trust. Current priorities include tackling invasive species throughout the oak stands, seeding native grasses and forbs into the wet and upland prairie, and planting native trees and shrubs.
Owens Farm supports multiple Oregon Conservation Strategy Species, including significant populations of Acorn woodpecker and Nelson’s checkermallow.
Owens Farm-Jackson Frazier Wetland Trail Plan
Acorn woodpecker
Nelson’s checkermallow
Planning a Legacy
Heritage Circle Highlight
Whitney Olsen’s family has deep roots in the Willamette Valley and she says there’s no place she’d rather be, “Every season thrills me: birds fussing in the marshes and meadows, bright green grass against dark, blustery skies, wildflowers along forest trails, the scents of hay and mint fields, the hum of farm machinery at harvest, geese flying overhead ”
After high school she traveled around before returning to the valley with an appreciation for the role that Greenbelt Land Trust plays in conserving land and water here.
“Many of the places I've visited around the world were just as beautiful as our Valley and just as vulnerable to development, but not as well protected by thoughtful organizations like Greenbelt I support Greenbelt as a donor to protect vulnerable wildlife habitats and watersheds and to provide access to nature for everyone to enjoy for generations to come I want everyone to experience the sensory delights of these places, as I have ”
I support Greenbelt as a donor to protect vulnerable wildlife habitats and watersheds and to provide access to nature for everyone to enjoy for generations to come.
As a land trust, our mission has no end date. We conserve land and water in perpetuity. Members like Whitney are looking to that future with us by joining our Heritage Circledonors who include us in their estate plans Heritage Circle members receive special invitations to Land Trust events and programs in recognition of their legacy commitment
Taylor’s New Release Butterfly Drop at Bald Hill Farm
Let’s meet and talk about your plans! Emily Torres Barton, Development Director emily@greenbeltlandtust.org (541)752.9609
Call It a Comeback
When you are dealing with an endangered butterfly with only two known populations in Oregon, you have to get creative to bring the species all the way back
Greenbelt is working with multiple partners to establish new populations of the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. From planting host plant species, to releasing Taylor’s checkerspot caterpillars at Bald Hill Farm, we are working on all fronts to help Taylor’s thrive
“For this species to make a comeback in Oregon, we need more than two populations. The USFWS is dedicating resources to this experimental reintroduction at Bald Hill Farm because we have been successful in restoring the habitat Taylor’s checkerspot needs,” said Greenbelt Habitat Biologist Andy Neill.
Will we soon have a third population in Oregon? Only time will tell A second release is planned next year, and biologists will be on the lookout for butterflies without markings, meaning a new generation is on the wing at Bald Hill Farm.
Whitney Olsen, Greenbelt member
