A large tract of oak and prairie land just north of Eugene will be protected from development.
The Oak Basin Tree Farm, owned by the Merzenich brothers—Jim and Ed—is in the Coburg Hills area.
Claire Fox is conservation director at the Greenbelt Land Trust, a land conservation nonprofit based in Corvallis. She said when the brothers found out there were threatened and endangered species on the property, they were inspired to partner with federal agencies and the land trust to establish a conservation easement on 428 acres.
“Jim Merzenich has said that he wants to demonstrate that tree farms can be managed to improve habitat while still returning benefits to the landowner,” she said.
Fox said on the property, there’s lots of oak, and prairies that are home to the Fender’s Blue Butterfly—a species which is only found in the Willamette Valley.
“Oak Basin is home to the highest elevation population of this butterfly that we know of,” said Fox. “And this population is particularly important when thinking about the long-term survival of the species. Because it means that the butterfly population contains genetic diversity that may allow the species to adapt or move to higher elevations as climate changes.”
Fox said oak and prairie used to be ubiquitous in the Willamette Valley.
“Oak is really important. Prairie is really important. But it’s rare these days,” said Fox. “The Coburg Hills is actually home to some of the best remaining oak woodlands in the Valley. So, it’s important to protect them now before they completely disappear.”
Fox said if you’re driving on Interstate 5 near the Lane and Linn County border you can see some of the Oak Basin Tree Farm to the east.
