Protected Places
The Trust Owns the Following Conservation Properties - Scroll Down for More Information on Each Property.
Oak Meadows Natural Area (270-acres) - SW of Stayton, Linn County.
Mountain Prairie Conservation Area (72-acres) - Near Barton, Clackamas Co.
Ancient Prairie Natural Area (114-acres) - South of Scio, Linn County
Santiam Wetland Preserve (60-acres) - West of Stayton, Marion County.
The Oak Meadows Natural Area
As the Trust’s first property purchased in January of 2025 just a few miles southwest of Stayton, OR in Linn County, the Oak Meadows Natural Area was a great way to start our land trust. At 270 acres, the site hosts an amazing expanse of wet prairie, a habitat type in short supply in the vast Willamette Valley.
The site also contains Oak Woodland, wetlands, a creek that flows to the North Santiam River (which is just a mile to the North), and an array of native grasses and sedges.
Once farmed, with portions also used as a poplar plantation, the property exemplifies what can be done in regard to habitat restoration, with the aim of providing essential habitat for a range of native species.
The site has a Conservation Easement from the Natural Resource Conservation Service to protect its wet prairie, and wetland habitat. Over the past few years work has been conducted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to augment natural processes, and to foster native wildflowers. That said, the property also contains a seed bank that exemplifies endless years of ecological resiliency. In this vein, native wild Camas flowers show up in the spring in earnest. Along this line, the native Bradshaw’s lomatium also blooms on a portion of the property.
Thanks to the Kraemer Family for working with us to make this purchase happen. We also thank our friends at Oregon Farm Brokers who helped with this effort.
The Trust will be offering opportunities to get out and explore this property year-round. You can learn about this essential habitat, as well as the range of plants and animals that thrive here, on our regularly scheduled outings.
Stay tuned for more opportunities in June through September posted on our Events/Gatherings Page!
Mountain Prairie
The Mountain Prairie is a 72-acre Natural Area in Clackamas County, just a couple miles south of the Clackamas River near Barton. The site is a combination of wet prairie, and wetland. It hosts an amazing abundance of wildflowers in the spring, summer and into the fall.
The Trust received this property as a donation in August of 2025. It is our second protected place!
Mountain Prairie was once a mitigation bank, after serving as a cow pasture for decades. The mitigation bank was a planned restoration site that was able to sell credits due to impacts elsewhere in the watershed. When mitigation banks are done selling their credits, they are required to find a permanent steward, and to provide management funding to protect such sites in perpetuity. This makes an excellent fit for land trusts given the land trust model.
To us this site is stunning. The wildflowers that thrive here are home to myriad pollinators that are also found on the property. Flowers such as Nelson’s checkermallow, common madia, common camas, blue-eyed grass, and the very rare Bradshaw’s lomatium can be found on the site as well as others.
The Trust will be conducting regular tours of Mountain Prairie starting in Fall of 2025. The site is also home to deer, elk, coyote, and migratory songbirds! It has about a dozen Oregon White Oak trees, as well as various sedges and grasses.
We look forward to getting you out there!
The Ancient Prairie Natural Area
The Ancient Prairie is a 114-acre Natural Area in Linn County, just a few miles south of the town of Scio. Historically this site was never plowed, and only had grazing of horses. The lack of heavy impacts to the soil resulted in the native seedbank being intact. The site provides an abundance of flower and plant species that have likely been on the site for many hundreds of years.
Over the years the site became a bit overgrown with non-native plants and trees. Over the past two decades, thanks to the work of the landowner, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service which holds a conservation easement on the property, the majority of invasive plant species have been removed. This work enabled the old seed bank to flourish, with an array of native wildflowers, as well as sedges, and rushes on the site.
The area also has many Oregon White Oak trees, as well as a stand of the Willamette Valley Ponderosa pine. The site is amazing, and even in winter provides vernal pools that wet the soil well into the spring, then giving way to Camas, Willamette Daisy, Asters and many more wildflowers. There are also owls, raptors, and purple martins that nest on the site in the Spring and Summer. The place simply has a different feel to it. In our view it is something to behold.
The Trust purchased this property in January of 2026, thanks to a wonderful group effort by donors at all levels. It is our third protected place! The Ancient Prairie joins our other wet meadow properties, the Oak Meadows Natural Area, and the Mountain Prairie Conservation Area. These properties are similarly themed, but each has its own interesting history, and ecological story.
We look forward to getting you out there starting in the spring of 2026. Join our email list or check our Gatherings and Trips page to sign up.
Santiam Wetland Preserve
At the end of January, 2026 the Trust received the donation of a gorgeous wetland site we are calling the Santiam Wetland Preserve. This site is 60 acres, and contains multiple ponds used by a range of waterfowl, and other wildlife.
Over the past couple of decades, this site has been a mitigation bank after decades as marginal farmland. In essence, the wetland was created and planted in the early 2000s, and over the years planted with additional native grasses, sedges, willows, and more.
The site is fed with groundwater, and retains ponds even in the height of the dry season in the Willamette Valley. The Trust looks forward to providing many opportunities to see and experience the site, as well as the wildlife and beauty it has to offer.
In the months prior to the donation, the Trust was able to identify a wide range of waterfowl, as well as many migratory songbirds. There are several old cottonwood snags in one corner of the property, and these are frequently utilized by Great Blue Herons. We have also captured photos of Bobcats, Coyotes, Deer, Owls, and more. Beaver are also found there! This 60-acre place is a kind of island of naturalness in the middle of a wide, agricultural area.
In the center of the site is a small hill, which is comprised of the soil that was originally excavated to create the ponds. The hill has been planted with Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pines, Oregon Grape and other native plant species. A short hike up the hill provides a wonderful view of much of the wetland area, as well as the Valley beyond.
