”A river doesn’t just carry water, it carries life.”
- Amit Kalantri
Deep in the forests that make up the Siuslaw National Forest between Tillamook and Pacific City, Oregon, the people and the land’s connection grows. Located just outside the town of Hebo, in a seemingly never-ending stretch of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and Douglas-fir covering steep slopes and fern filled draws lies a very special property called Three Rivers.
In the shadow of the historic Mount Hebo, the Three Rivers property is the headwaters for one of the most important rivers of Oregon’s central coast, the Nestucca River. The Nestucca provides cold water for fish born in freshwater but who spend the majority of their lives in the nearby Pacific Ocean. Riparian habitats like the Three Rivers property are among the most rare types of property in the coast range, accounting for less than one percent of the overall lands.
Due to its size of 447 acres, its rare riparian qualities, and the willingness of the landowners to do something unique and altruistic with the property, Made Out West saw an equally unique opportunity to do something special for the area.
From the inception of Made Out West, our mission was clear; to enable connections between people and the outdoors. As our company grows, we are doubling down on our commitment to our mission. More than ever, we envision a healthy relationship between people, wildlife, and wild places. As a testament to that commitment, we facilitated an arrangement between The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, a private landowner, and the Siuslaw National Forest.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation collaborated with a private landowner to purchase and deed the property to the surrounding Siuslaw National Forest for management and recreational use.
If you are or know a landowner who is interested in doing a similar project, please reach out to us
“The Forest Service (USFS) designated this landscape as a critical inholding since it provides important habitat for Roosevelt elk and other wildlife species,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We appreciate the previous landowner for their wildlife and conservation values and helping complete this conservation transaction.” 1
“This is a great example of partners joining forces to meet a shared objective. We appreciate RMEF’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. 2
“As we see in all of our land conservation and access work, these projects, though beneficial for elk, provide wide-ranging, positive impacts for many other species,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “In this case, the scarcity of early successional meadow habitat within western Oregon provides an important habitat type for the Roosevelt elk that utilize the Siuslaw National Forest. RMEF has completed several habitat stewardship projects within the area.” The USFS secured Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars to complete the project. 3
For Made Out West, this was a project that further enabled meaningful conservation while supporting access for the public’s recreational use of a very special property.
Stay tuned for more, in our monthly Afield newsletter by Made out West.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Founded more than 37 years ago and fueled by hunters, RMEF maintains more than 225,000 members and has conserved nearly 8.4 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.
https://www.rmef.org/elk-network/oregon-habitat-conserved-for-roosevelt-elk-herd/
