Deschutes Land Trust acquires Metolius River Preserve

The Deschutes Land Trust announced Tuesday a new 30-acre preserve on the Metolius River. The Metolius River Preserve includes Metolius River frontage, mixed pine, cedar and spruce forest, and a rare fen, or wetland.

The Land Trust received the Preserve from The Nature Conservancy, which was gifted the property in the early 1980s by the Erskine B. Wood family.

“The Land Trust has been working to conserve land in and around the Metolius River for 23 years,” said Brad Chalfant, Deschutes Land Trust executive director..

“The Metolius River Preserve, with nearly a mile of Metolius River frontage and a unique fen, fits squarely within our conservation strategy and made this property a priority,” he said in the announcement. “The land trust is committed to permanently stewarding the preserve to maintain its unique and diverse ecological values,”

“The Nature Conservancy is pleased to be transferring this special property to such a strong local land trust,” said Derek Johnson, The Nature Conservancy’s Oregon director of protection and stewardship.

“We’ve partnered with the Deschutes Land Trust in a variety of contexts, and their professional and strategic approach, along with their existing Metolius projects, made them the obvious choice for the permanent stewardship of this important property,” Johnson added.

The Metolius River Preserve is eight miles downstream from the headwaters of the Metolius River. It protects 75 miles of the Metolius River, two islands, mixed pine, cedar and spruce forest, an open riverside meadow, and a rare fen.

A fen is a type of alkaline wetland that is fed from groundwater. Common along the coast or in subalpine regions, mid-elevation fens are found infrequently throughout Central Oregon.

The Land Trust is developing management plans for the Metolius River Preserve to guide the future stewardship of the land. Until those plans are complete, the Land Trust will be offering limited guided tours of the Preserve. For information on tours, visit www.deschuteslandtrust.org/hikes.

The Deschutes Land Trust is Central Oregon’s locally-based, nationally-accredited land trust. Since 1995, the Deschutes Land Trust has protected more than 9,115 acres for wildlife, scenic views, and local communities. For more information on the Deschutes Land Trust, call (541) 330-0017 or visit www.deschuteslandtrust.org.