Oregon land trusts unveil map of 81 places the public can explore

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- In honor of Earth Day, the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) has released a new map to help Oregonians connect with more outdoor spaces.

This first-of-its-kind map highlights 81 different locations throughout the state that anyone can visit, all of them made possible in part by Oregon’s system of nonprofit land trusts.

The PDF-format map is available at www.TheOregonIAm.org/map when you enter your name and email address.

“The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts has 30 members—nonprofits covering every corner of Oregon,” said Kelley Beamer, executive director of the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts. “Many of their properties, or properties they’ve helped conserve, have been open to the public for years. But only now have they been compiled in one place and all of them visible on one map. This is your go-to resource to discover a new family favorite picnic spot, or walk, or riverside hangout. And it’s an invitation for everyone living in Oregon to step outside and to safely connect to each other and the wonder of our lands,” Beamer said.

The website – TheOregonIAm.org – reflects the name of the project, The Oregon I Am. A play on the word “Oregonian,” it is a collaborative project to celebrate Oregon land and communities, and to invite more people to enjoy the great outdoors. The work also includes events later this year (more below).

Some of the properties on the map are owned by land trusts, and some of them are currently owned by public agencies, which acquired them from land trusts. All of the locations on the map are open to all and were, in some way, supported by land trusts. This new list of 81 places you can visit thanks to land trusts roughly compares, in size, to Oregon’s State Park system. Add this land trust map to your list of places you already enjoy—your neighborhood park, state parks, national forests and even your own backyard.

Not all 81 sites are open year-round, and some have rules to protect wildlife and native plants. Before planning a visit, please visit the highlighted organization for details by clicking on the map location. You will be directed to information specific to the place you want to visit—including when the property is open, how to get there, and more.

Oregonians are also invited to share what about Oregon is special to them. We invite everyone, whether they visit a location on the map or not, to post to social media with #oregoniam and share their answer to this question: What is your Oregon? Is it a place, idea, person, or memory? “The Oregon I am is ….”

In addition to the map release on April 22:

• In May, COLT will launch a game to engage kids in the new map.
• Breweries around the state are also collaborating to creating eight new beers inspired by place, to be released in June.
• In July, COLT will be inviting Oregonians to submit an audio recording of themselves sharing their story of “The Oregon I Am.”
• And in December, COLT will release a film titled The Oregon I Am.

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What is a land trust?

A land trust is a nonprofit that works with individuals and communities to conserve land. 

About the Coalition for Oregon Land Trusts

The Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT) serves and strengthens the land trust community in Oregon. At COLT, we build connections and advance policies that help protect our natural world—our water, wildlife and open space—for all people, forever.

This work helps our coalition members—30 conservation organizations around the state—do what they do best: protect wildlife and wild places, defend working farms and forests, provide recreation and parks, drive climate solutions and science, champion clean water for all and engage communities to protect our natural world.

Project photos available upon request

COLT member organizations:

Blue Mountain Land Trust

Center for Natural Lands Management

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District

Columbia Land Trust

Deschutes Land Trust

Ducks Unlimited

East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District

Forest Park Conservancy

Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust

Greenbelt Land Trust

Helvetia Community Association

Klamath Lake Land Trust

Lower Nehalem Community Trust

McKenzie River Trust

North Coast Land Conservancy

Northwest Rangeland Trust

Oregon Agricultural Trust

Oregon Desert Land Trust

Pacific Forest Trust

Southern Oregon Land Conservancy

The Conservation Fund

The Nature Conservancy in Oregon

The Trust for Public Land

The Wetlands Conservancy

Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District

Wallowa Land Trust

Western Rivers Conservancy

Wild Rivers Land Trust

Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District