Greenbelt Land Trust Fall 2023 Newsletter

1600 Acres in the Coburg Hills Protected

EXPLORE INSIDE

Large-scale Conservation and Climate Resilience at CBow Ridge

Fall 2023

Now is the time to dream big, act boldly, and make a difference for our environment when it matters the most.

We announced the Heart of the Valley Campaign in 2022 with a goal of acquiring key conservation lands and doubling the acres we protect in the next ten years. We are thrilled to announce the latest step on this journey with the acquisition of CBow Ridge, 1,600 acres in the Coburg Hills that hold a remarkable collection of diverse habitats now protected forever with your support!

Traveling on Interstate 5, just north of Coburg, look to the east and you’ll see CBow Ridge rising from the valley floor. This property gains nearly 1,800 feet in elevation before it touches the ridgeline of the Coburg Hills. This elevation gain, combined with diverse topography, creates micro-climates across the property, making it even more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Our climate is changing, and a place like CBow Ridge is both a safe haven and a safe route for wildlife to move from lower elevations into the foothills of the Cascades.

Oak woodland, oak savanna, and upland prairie in the lower elevations blend into Willamette Valley ponderosa pine, incense cedar, maple, and Douglas fir. Higher up, rocky outcrops and prairie openings are found between dense forest stands.

Seasonal streams hold alder, ash, maple, and cottonwood, providing shade and water.

The property also shelters a population of Kincaid’s lupine, the host plant for Fender’s blue butterfly. Both species are on the endangered species list, making CBow Ridge an important potential connection of habitat for Fender’s blue.

CBow Ridge Protected Restoration Begins at Oak Creek Preserve The Promise of The Heart of the Valley Upcoming Events

With this expansive landscape we are going BIG, deepening our commitment to resilient lands for wildlife and people.

Claire Fox, Conservation Director

The opportunity to protect a property of this scale is rare. With much of the Valley landscape divided, few large intact blocks of healthy habitat remain. Yet these blocks are necessary as ecosystem anchors for wildlife, carbon storage, air and water quality. continued page 2

CBow Ridge View

CBow Ridge continued from page 1

The Coburg Hills contain some of the best remaining oak habitats on the east side of the Valley. Nearby is The Nature Conservancy's Coburg Ridge Preserve, another connection for oak and rare high-elevation prairie species. Moreover, CBow Ridge is adjacent to Areas of Critical Environmental Concern managed by the Bureau of Land Management. CBow Ridge is a crucial addition to this regional ecological stronghold, made possible through your support of the Heart of the Valley Campaign.

Kincaid's lupine at CBow Ridge

A high elevation prairie overlooks the Valley

Old growth cedar at CBow Ridge

Field Update: Oak Creek Preserve In late May, Greenbelt Land Trust purchased Oak Creek Preserve with the help of our Heart of the Valley Campaign supporters. Our land stewardship team is already working on the ground to restore Oak Creek Preserve’s prairie, wetland, and oak woodland habitats.

One of the most visible signs of this work is the construction of vernal pools in the lower and wetter portions of the prairie. Vernal pools are extremely shallow ponds that fill with winter rain and gradually dry up by summer.

They are important resting and feeding stops for migratory shorebirds and ducks as well as important breeding habitat for frogs and salamanders.

Our partners in the US Fish and Wildlife Service are helping us construct the vernal pools with a specialized piece of large equipment called a belly scraper. You may see it making a dust cloud as it slowly circles, scraping out the vernal pools so they are ready to catch the fall and winter rains.

Our goal is to restore wetland conditions by retaining as much water as possible, so we are plugging ditches and dismantling underground pipes called drainage tiles that were installed to drain the soil for agriculture.

The protection and restoration of Oak Creek Preserve has been a part of the Greenbelt vision for over 30 years, and we are excited to begin the work that you made possible!

Matt Blakeley-Smith Stewardship Director

TOGETHER, WE DID IT! The challenge that we put forward was bold. It was audacious. And it was urgent. Never before has the call to action been so timely. Our planet, our waters, our trails need us now more than ever.

And now, because of your support, we celebrate the momentous accomplishment of finalizing the Heart of the Valley Campaign! This watershed moment is possible because of you, friend.

Over the last 2 years I have taken hundreds of people on walks, sat around living rooms and coffee shops, pouring over maps and sharing this vision of accelerating the pace and scale of Greenbelt’s conservation efforts to meet an unprecedented moment of demand and opportunity.

Together, we envisioned a future for Oak Creek Preserve, one of the last missing puzzle pieces on an expansive concept of connected trails and habitat.

The list of opportunities at our doorstep is growing, and we continue to expand our horizons to adapt and respond. With deep roots supporting us, Greenbelt is able to act on behalf of our community for clean air, water, and lands ... forever. I am humbled by your generosity, and look forward to continuing to grow the legacy of Greenbelt together!

Jessica McDonald I Executive Director

The Promise of the Heart of the Valley The $7 Million Heart of the Valley Campaign unveiled a bold vision of doubling our acres protected in the next decade. This vision is swiftly becoming a reality!

Luckiamute Confluence In March, the support of our members spurred swift action to purchase 110 acres of floodplain habitat along the Luckiamute and Willamette rivers when it came up for sale. We were able to move quickly to protect this property located between two units of Luckiamute Landing State Natural Area. Luckiamute Confluence holds the promise to create one of the largest intact forests on the mid-Willamette river and connect and expand trails and recreation for all.

Oak Creek Preserve Oak Creek Preserve is a keystone property for recreation and habitat connectivity that has been on the wish-list of local conservation groups for decades.

We are working to connect one hundred miles of trail and thousands of acres of habitat through this property. Heart of the Valley Campaign supporters made the wish of permanent protection come true in May, and habitat restoration work has already begun!

CBow Ridge From the valley floor to the top of the Coburg Hills, CBow Ridge holds 1600 acres of diverse forest and prairie habitat. Conservation properties of this size in the Willamette Valley are rare, and the time to protect them is now. The promise of the Heart of the Valley Campaign was on full display with the permanent protection of CBow Ridge in September.

Greenbelt Land Trust PO Box 1721 Corvallis, OR 97339 greenbeltlandtrust.org (541) 752-9609

UPCOMING EVENTS

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CORVALLIS, OR PERMIT NO. 217

Details and registration: www.greenbeltlandtrust.org/events

Thursday, October 12th Volunteer Trail Day at Bald Hill

Saturday, October 21st CBow Ridge Tour

Join Greenbelt and City of Corvallis staff and fellow volunteers to spruce up the trails at Bald Hill Natural Area . No experience is necessary, all tools and gloves will be provided. We hope you can join us!

Come along for a first-look hike at CBow Ridge - 1600 acres of diverse forest and prairie in the Coburg Hills. We will explore several areas of the property and take in some great views too.

Saturday, October 21st Birding at Soap Creek Oaks

November-December Native Planting Parties

Grab your binoculars or borrow ours for a bird walk at Soap Creek Oaks, a conservation easement property in the Soap Creek Valley. No experience necessary, but it helps if you love Acorn Woodpeckers!

Help plant tens of thousands of native plants and bulbs this fall and winter at Bald Hill Farm in Corvallis and Kingston Prairie near Stayton.

No experience necessary, all tools and gloves provided. Snacks, too! All ages fun.