McKenzie River Trust Volunteer Day
For many of us, the allure of the Willamette Valley is rooted in its natural environment; it sustains us on many levels—physically, mentally, spiritually, communally. We feel grateful for the natural beauty here.
Rowell Brokaw has been a longtime financial supporter of the McKenzie River Trust, a nonprofit land trust whose mission is to protect land and water in western Oregon. Formed in 1989 with a focus on critical habitats and scenic lands in the McKenzie River basin, the McKenzie River Trust now has a service area that includes the watersheds of the Long Tom, Upper Willamette, Coast and Middle Forks of the Willamette, Umpqua, Siuslaw, and coastal headlands, rivers, streams, and lakes from Reedsport to Lincoln City.
Rowell Brokaw was given the opportunity to volunteer for an afternoon with McKenzie River Trust at Green Island. North of Eugene/Springfield and just west of Coburg, at the confluence of the McKenzie and the Willamette Rivers, Green Island provides more than 1,100 acres of essential habitat for numerous species. Since the first acreage was acquired from the Green Family in 2003, the McKenzie River Trust has, according to their website, been working “to restore a robust ecosystem comprised of a rich mosaic of historic habitat types” and to allow “the river to move dynamically, as it would have historically.”
Our group helped remove invasive blackberries along the Willamette River. There was sunshine and clouds and rain and all the weather you’d expect in Oregon. It was a glorious day.
Green Island is open to the public on the second Saturday of the month, March-December, for Living River Exploration Days. The McKenzie River Trust offers many ways to connect with the land. Here is a link to their Upcoming Events and Tours.