Two hundred forty-five acres of land at North Fork Bend have been placed in permanent protection to restore the lower Siuslaw River tidal estuary.
*Courtesy of Steve Smith / McKenzie River Trust*

A 20-year conservation effort to restore the lower Siuslaw River just got a big boost. A cattle farmer recently transferred 245 acres of land to continue restoration of the tidal estuary. The act will mean a lot for salmon.

If the Siuslaw River estuary were a puzzle, a good-sized piece of it was just put back. The latest land deal helps expand more than 1,200 acres of existing conservation lands in the area.

It took the work of state and federal agencies and area nonprofits to make it happen. Joe Moll is Executive Director of the McKenzie River Trust, now responsible for stewarding the tidal property now in permanent protection.

“You know historically the Siuslaw River was one of the biggest producers of salmon on the Oregon Coast,” Moll said. “And over time, that changed, and this will be a tremendous boost as a nursery for the Coho salmon particularly.”

Moll credits the leadership of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians for their vision and commitment to the long term.

The Siuslaw River drains an area of about 773 square miles in the Central Oregon Coast Range, southwest of the Willamette Valley and north of the watershed of the Umpqua River.

Protection of the Siuslaw River estuary is a collaborative effort. The Nature Conservancy in Oregon worked with public and private funders to purchase the property from the Large family for conservation. In June, they donated it to McKenzie River Trust.

According to Moll, the newly transferred 245 acres of the North Fork Bend property had been supporting sheep and cattle production since the 1930s.

Longtime rancher Nathan Large, who sold the property for conservation, said he was at peace with his decision.

“I’m not in favor of converting good agricultural land, but I don’t see this as a conversion,” said Large in a press release issued by the McKenzie River Trust. “It’s just putting it back to the way it was.”

The North Fork Bend property was protected in partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Oregon and recently transferred to McKenzie River Trust. The property expands a growing network of more than 1,200 acres of conservation lands in the lower Siuslaw River.
*Courtesy of Brady Holden / McKenzie River Trust*

Large, who lives on an adjacent property, has noted the abundance of birds and other wildlife who now use the property. “That’s what it’s suited for — wildlife rather than ag. I look forward to seeing the positive change as the area is restored.”

This property, poised for restoration, will provide numerous benefits for the native plant, animal, and human communities in the Siuslaw, said Moll. There are advantages like supporting native salmon in a watershed that has been hard-hit by closures due to low returns.

And, Moll added, reconnected waterways will benefit water quality and can help safeguard communities against the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and storm surges.