Small tracts, big results

Forest Service expands conservation efforts in Oregon

August 18, 2022

A view of the Three Rivers area from newly acquired parcel of land added to the Siuslaw National Forest. The forest will work to restore critical fish habitat in the area. (USDA Forest Service photo by Adriana Morales)

Editor’s Note: Ashleigh Bell is in the Masters of the Environment Graduate Program at the University of Colorado. She worked with the Forest Service as part of a Capstone Project that places students within a broad spectrum of government agencies, non-government organizations and private sector companies involved in environment, energy, and planning.

The majestic Siuslaw National Forest is on Oregon’s Pacific Coast, offering amazing views of sub alpine meadows, ever changing dunes, lush temperate rain forests, towering waterfalls, and rocky coastal headlands. The forest is also home to an abundance of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.

Today, the forest is 447 acres larger due to a collaborative effort between the Forest Service and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to acquire the Three Rivers parcel through Land and Water Conservation funding. The breathtaking Three Rivers parcel is near Hebo, Oregon, and named for the stream running through it.

Coho Salmon in a river — Coho salmon, listed as an endangered species, inhabit most coastal streams in Washington, Oregon, and central and northern California. Some populations are believed to have migrated hundreds of miles inland to spawn. The Siuslaw National Forest recently acquired a parcel of land that will restore habitat for coho and other aquatic species. (Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Although relatively small, the acquisition of the parcel offers the opportunity to restore important aquatic and terrestrial habitat in support of native fish and wildlife populations. The land transfer into public ownership connects the Three Rivers parcel with the surrounding forest. The Siuslaw is known for habitat restoration and providing quality recreation opportunities in the Oregon Coast Range, and these management hallmarks will be expanded to the Three Rivers parcel.

Three Rivers is a major tributary of the Nestucca River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Nestucca Bay near Pacific City, Oregon. The Nestucca River watershed represents some of the most promising areas of salmon and steelhead recovery in the contiguous U.S. and provides critical habitat for Oregon coast coho salmon – listed as a threatened species – chum salmon and steelhead trout. Plans are already in motion to move forward with stream restoration work in the Three Rivers parcel to help support the recovery of coho and other anadromous fish populations.

Fish are not the area’s only outstanding wildlife. Throughout the region, Roosevelt elk and blacktail deer share habitat with cougar, black bear, and a host of smaller terrestrial species, upland game birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Riparian meadows found in the Three River parcel represent one of the rarest ecosystems in the Oregon Coast Range, and are important for a variety of terrestrial species, including Roosevelt elk.

A clearing in the forest — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation helped to get a 447-acres tract of land added to the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon. The parcel, acquired with Land and Water Conservation funding, will help to expand conservation efforts on the forest. (USDA Forest Service photo by Adriana Morales)

“This is a great example of partners joining forces to meet a shared objective. We appreciate the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s role in facilitating this land transfer, which presents us with the opportunity to connect critical fish habitat in the Three Rivers watershed and conserve prime elk habitat,” said Robert Sanchez, Siuslaw National Forest supervisor.

The Three Rivers land acquisition will not only benefit wildlife in the area but will also improve the experience for all forest visitors. Future planning efforts will explore opportunities for recreation activities like hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing in the Three Rivers area.

The Three Rivers acquisition was made possible through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will contribute to the America the Beautiful initiative, led jointly by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has been around since 1964, but it was not until 2020 that it gained permanent full funding through the Great American Outdoors Act. The fund uses money from royalties paid by offshore oil and gas companies to add land to lands.