Welcome to the 2018 Riparian Restoration team’s website!
The McKenzie River Watershed has changed dramatically since colonization by Euro-American settlers in the mid to late 1800’s. Over the last 50-100 years, alterations in the landscape due to large-scale agriculture, urban sprawl, and damming of rivers have compromised stream banks and ecosystems in the riparian zones. Since 2015, the Environmental Leadership Program’s (ELP) Riparian Restoration teams from the University of Oregon have worked to restore the overall health of the riparian ecosystem of Goose Creek at Whitewater Ranch (WWR) and the greater McKenzie River Watershed by monitoring previous years’ projects, adapting management techniques to existing projects, and planning for future Riparian Restoration teams.
As the owners of WWR, Jim and Jane Russell encourage sustainability and mitigate the impacts of commercial agriculture by sponsoring riparian restoration projects along Goose Creek, including those implemented by our team and the McKenzie Watershed Council (MWC). The mission of WWR is to produce quality, organic blueberries, and sustainably harvest timber while striving to maintain respect for the McKenzie River as the life source for irrigation, drinking water, and ecosystems. To employees, managers, and customers alike, WWR upholds sustainable business values by supporting projects that advocate for the health and biodiversity of Goose Creek and the McKenzie River Watershed.
