Tag: McKenzie River.

Celebrating the McKenzie River’s Legacy

Posted on by Robert Parker

By Bob Parker

CPW made the local news today for our work with Friends of the Old McKenzie Hatchery (Friends) on the McKenzie Interpretive Center concept. The article, published in the Register-Guard, discusses Friend’s plans for the Old McKenzie Hatchery site.

The McKenzie River is a national treasure. It has a storied history that is far to deep to delve into here.  One of the signatures of the McKenzie is the McKenzie Drift Boat.  The boat designs have now been exported all over the world.  The idea of a drift boat museum has been floating around for some time now, but has never reached critical mass.

Prince Helfrich

The Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery was built in 1903 and is part of the River’s heritage.  The hatchery operated from 1903 through 1952. was in operation until 1952 when it became less economical in its production. The hatchery system, a series of channels and ponds, are still intact, but are being infilled by vegetation. Ultimately, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife needed more capacity and moved the hatchery across the river to a larger site. The Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery has several unique buildings and currently serves as a rest stop for visitors.

The river also led to the development of the McKenzie drift boat—watercraft that are uniquely designed for rivers. The McKenzie drift boat design has been adopted internationally and is common among river watercraft. The concept of a McKenzie Drift Boat Museum has been around for some time.  The McKenzie Interpretive Center would also provide a permanent location for the Museum.

Recognizing the Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery was an underutilized asset, in 1986 Lane County commissioned a study by the Community Planning Workshop to evaluate potential uses of the site. The study ultimately concluded that a campground would be a viable use economically and that the forested portions of the site required management.  No action occurred as a result of the 1986 study. The site housed the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce for a number of years. The Chamber ceased operations on the site in the 1990s.  Since that time, the County has leased the residence and has struggled to keep up with maintenance of the historic buildings on the site.

In 2015, representatives of Friends approached the CSC about helping with a feasibility study for the proposed interpretive center.  Notably, CPW completed a study of potential uses of the Old McKenzie Hatchery site in 1986.  At that point, the study identified managing the site for timber as a potential option. The County maintained ownership of the site for the 40 years since the study, but was still exploring opportunities for the site.

The Friends of Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery (Friends) are pursuing a concept to create a showcase for McKenzie River riverboats and their guides at the Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery (OMFH) near Leaburg Dam on Highway 126. Over the past several years, Friends has spearheaded an effort to develop an interpretive plan, exhibit concepts, a capital improvements budget, and an architectural program for the proposed facilities, which are tentatively called the McKenzie River Interpretive Center. The concept divides the river’s stories into three categories, later named “Story Zones.” These zones are:

  1. Zone One – Boats & Guides

    Roy Pruitt
  2. Zone Two – River & Watershed
  3. Zone Three – Fish & Ecology

The Friends of Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery (Friends), a 501(c)(3) entity formed for the purpose of furthering recreation and education at the OMFH, is coordinating the effort which includes several partners. Moreover, Lane County Parks Department owns the the structures and associated adjacent land is expected to lease the site to The Friends for ninety-nine years. The western portion of the site is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places because it houses the original hatchery, and therefore comes with certain restrictions, Lane County is expected to make the eastern portion available for new construction.

In short, this is a very exciting opportunity to build a world-class facility on a significant historic site. We are honored to be a part of this exciting project and to provide advice to the Friends.

Getting Down and Dirty at Berggren Farm

Posted on by Julia Havens
Katy Giombolini ruling the roost at Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation and Development. Katy is a year 19 RARE member and works on an array of projects including the “Incubator Farm” at Berggren Demonstration Farm.

 

I was a vegan for about four years and still rarely eat meat, and it’s strange to now find myself raising chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, and turkeys.  At the beginning, I struggled with raising animals for meat; it just seemed weird to me.  But as time goes on, I realize how animals are an integral part of many farm operations especially in terms of fertilizer.  Many vegetable farms rely on manure and other animal byproducts to boost their soil fertility.

There are many lessons learned from my RARE AmeriCorps service year working at the farm.  A big one is, “even if you think the animals couldn’t possibly do it, it probably means they can and will.”  I’ve been amazed at how animals can get out of their pens.  Goats could seriously best many escape artists.  I swear our bunnies teleport to the other pens (I have yet to actually see them hop over their barriers).  Our new baby goats figured out how to unlatch the door to their pen to get out.  Another lesson learned is “we can fix it later” means that whatever dinky thing we did to make something work will be there until it breaks.  It also means that doing the best job we can do the first time is better than having to fix something later.

This experience has also changed my perspective on life and death.  Life and death are common occurrences on a farm—from wilting plants in the greenhouse to the arrival of baby chicks.  I not only remember having a new born bunny die in my hand (not a good day), but also remember the joy in watching a seed sprout.  It still blows my mind that something so tiny becomes something so big.

This farm is only in its second year of production, its sprouting stage, but we are already doing educational programs with K-12 students, working with our neighbors to collectively buy and sell products, and, as we continue to grow, acting as a resource to others interested in small livestock production, habitat enhancement projects, and small scale vegetable and feed production.

About the Author: Current RARE member, Katy Giombolini, is placed with Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation and Development where she works on an array of projects including: development of a needs assessment for McKenzie River Valley Farmers, helping coordinate the Local Food Connection, and further developing the ‘Incubator Farm’ program at the Berggren Demonstration Farm, wherein beginning farmers lease a small parcel of land for a fixed period of time, share tools with other farmers, and have access to on-site mentorship opportunities. Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation and Development is a nonprofit organization established in 1989 to support positive environmental, social and economic change in local communities.