A land trust has purchased forest property near Blue River. Proceeds from the sale will benefit a local school.
The 47-acre parcel was donated to McKenzie River School District in the 1980s by Fred and Dorothy Behm. It was intended for timber harvest. But, because of challenging terrain and other issues that never happened, according to McKenzie River Trust Executive Director Joe Moll. He says thanks to an anonymous donor, the trust was able to purchase the property for conservation. He says it abuts another 20 acre MRT property.
“It comes right off of the ball field, which is a part of the city park.” Moll says, “It’s connected to Blue River itself so it’s part of that watershed and it’s got some really interesting trees, it’s got a small trail that goes through it. It gets a little bit of use. But it mostly builds on the footprint of community conservation that has been going on there for a couple decades now.”
Moll says proceeds from the $197 thousand sale will fund scholarships for McKenzie River Community School. McKenzie River Trust will partner with the Blue River Parks District to steward the land and keep it accessible to the public. In the spring, MRT will have a celebration with supporters and announce a name for the new property.