McKenzie River Trust

McKenzie River Trust We help people protect and care for the lands and rivers they cherish in western Oregon.

Our members, volunteers, landowner partners, and community networks work together to leave a lasting impact on the more than 7,000 acres currently in our care.

🌱Our land stewardship team has been busy in the field monitoring the Finn Rock Reach restoration area on the McKenzie Ri...
06/14/2026

🌱Our land stewardship team has been busy in the field monitoring the Finn Rock Reach restoration area on the McKenzie River.

📈This week, Anyah, Sam, and Whitney were out in force conducting vegetation mortality surveys in the project area.

💧The work included collecting post-restoration plot data to get a sense of planting survival rates, natural recruitment, and regeneration in this special area.

🐟TODAY!🦫 Explore Green Island between 8am and 6pm during our June Living River Exploration Day! From wildlife watching t...
06/13/2026

🐟TODAY!🦫 Explore Green Island between 8am and 6pm during our June Living River Exploration Day! From wildlife watching to rockhounding, hiking, and more, Green Island offers a unique off-the-beaten-path adventure just outside of Eugene.

📍Find us at 31594 Green Island Rd, Eugene, OR 97408
📆Saturday, June 13th
🕥8am-6pm

Learn more at https://mckenzieriver.org/living-river-exploration-days/

06/12/2026

Across Oregon's coast, many farmers and ranchers are facing tough choices as tides shift and infrastructure ages.

Some are finding new ways forward by partnering with conservation organizations.

Restoration projects like haich ikt'at'uu not only benefit water and wildlife, but they also acknowledge the intrinsic value of these areas.

As former tidal lands become increasingly difficult to graze, conservation and restoration initiatives can provide financial resources to Oregon's farmers, helping neighbors adapt in a rapidly shifting landscape.

🎥 Morningstar Creative

This little beetle buddy is doing a big job; it's busy controlling St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which is clas...
06/11/2026

This little beetle buddy is doing a big job; it's busy controlling St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which is classified as an invasive species here in Oregon.

Native to Europe and Asia, this beetle was the first recorded attempt to control invasive species using insects. In the mid-1940s, people brought these beetles across the ocean to help control their host plant, which has been an important medicinal plant in European, North African, and Asian communities for thousands of years.

The St. John's Wort Beetle (this one is Chrysolina hyperici) relies completely on the St. John's Wort plant. In late fall, they lay up to 2,000 eggs on the undersides of leaves. These eggs quickly hatch, and the larvae feed on the plants until they pupate and drop into the soil to overwinter. In spring, these pupae emerge as fully formed beetles who quickly get to work enjoying the plant's fresh growth, beginning the cycle all over again.

These beetles are pretty amazing, but they can't do it alone. St. John's Wort is a well-researched medicinal plant that can be used both internally and externally for a range of benefits. Once you learn to properly identify this plant, you can help care for our ecosystems and any bumps and bruises you might get while having fun this summer, by harvesting this incredible plant, which will soon be blooming, for easier identification.

Protecting land is just the first step in conservation. These special places need our care across the seasons, and thank...
06/09/2026

Protecting land is just the first step in conservation. These special places need our care across the seasons, and thanks to an incredible community of volunteers, they are not only being protected but also stewarded for generations to come.

Last week, two dozen people joined us for our First Friday project at the Willamette Confluence property near Eugene to help manage invasive species, including Scotch Broom and Himalayan blackberry.

Volunteering is just one way to transform your values into action. Tell us how you give back to the lands and waters you cherish in the comments below!

We are so honored to be in this incredible community of people working on behalf of water, wildlife, and one another.
06/04/2026

We are so honored to be in this incredible community of people working on behalf of water, wildlife, and one another.

06/02/2026

Some changes happen slowly. Others happen all at once.

Throughout its history, the Siuslaw River estuary has experienced both.

Right now, one of the biggest changes in decades is underway at haich ikt'at'uu, where partners are working together to restore nearly 200 acres of tidal wetlands and reconnect the river with the tides.

Our legacy of change is still being written. Whether you live here, work here, or simply care about this place, you are part of its story.

06/02/2026

People have always lived alongside the lands and waters of the Siuslaw, paying attention to how tides and seasons shift and respond.

That knowledge still matters today.

In the Siuslaw estuary, past and present continue to shape the landscape together.

Through collaboration and a shared commitment to place, people are working to bring back more than salmon. We're working to restore this place's ability to respond, shift, and flourish again.

05/30/2026

Today, following more than fifteen years of deliberate planning, partnership, and care, the Siuslaw River flowed back into the land amid tears and cheers from those closest to the project.

This moment is the result of an extraordinary community of people whose contributions weave together the knowledge, expertise, and values of different cultures, communities, and industries. Over the course of nearly two decades, this project has brought us closer together through our shared care—for water, wildlife, and one another.

Today marks more than the reconnection of a river and its wetlands. It reflects years of trust, perseverance, and collaboration, and serves as a reminder of what is possible when people come together in service of the places they love. We are grateful to share this milestone with you and thankful for the many hands, hearts, and voices that helped make it possible.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the many partners, funders, and supporters who helped make this moment possible. In particular, we thank the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Siuslaw Watershed Council, Environmental Science Associates, Billeter Marine, and BCI Contracting LLC. Their dedication, expertise, and commitment have truly brought this vision to life.

We look forward to sharing more of this incredible story in the weeks ahead.

The rare and fascinating Golden Paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) is in full bloom! Native to western Oregon, Golden Pai...
05/28/2026

The rare and fascinating Golden Paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) is in full bloom! Native to western Oregon, Golden Paintbrush is a hemiparasitic plant, making it one of the most intriguing prairie species in our region.

Even though this plant can photosynthesize on its own, it has special structures called haustoria that grow from its roots and attach to the vascular systems of neighboring plants. Through these connections, it pulls minerals, water, and sugars for its own use.

This parasitic behavior may seem like a bad deal for neighboring plants, but in these complex ecosystems, it can also play an important role. By stunting the growth of more vigorous species, Golden Paintbrush creates space for wildflowers and other sensitive plants to compete for a place in the prairie.

Address

725 W. 1st Avenue
Eugene, OR
97402

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15413452799

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when McKenzie River Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to McKenzie River Trust:

Shortcuts

Share

Category