The McKenzie River Trust recently acquired more than a hundred acres through a conservation easement located between Junction City and Monroe. The property, donated by the landowner, is part of the Long Tom River Watershed.
Named after the Peregrine falcon, Peregrine Prairie is home to wetlands which Robin Meacher, a Land Manager with the McKenzie River Trust, said helps with water quality, reducing the severity of floods, and carbon storage. On top of that, she said it’s important for plants and wildlife.
“This place specifically has been really incredible for a host of bird species, grassland birds, specifically those that need these large swaths of open prairie lands for their breeding and nesting," she said,"So this place provides habitat for that, and migrating shorebirds as well.”
Meacher adds with help of volunteers and the diligent chronicling of plant diversity by the current landowner, they have a good grasp of just how important this piece of land is.
According to the trust, birds such as the Blue heron, the western meadowlark, bald eagles and Peregrine falcons are among dozens of species of birds that have been observed in the area.
The conservation easement ensures the area is protected into perpetuity and the landowner has provided funding for long-term sterwardship projects.
"These types of conservation projects are really great tools to help facilitate the work that's going on throughout the valley on private lands, there's a lot of really incredible habit that exists out there so these private land, non-profit partnerships are really important for helping us continue to make sure that these landscapes that are kind of iconic to Oregon and the Willamette Valley continue to exist into the future," Meacher said.
Copyright, 2021 KLCC
