Green Island Acquisition

Accomplishment: Protection of 1,300-acres of high-value floodplain habitat with potential for large-scale restoration.

Location: Confluence of Willamette and McKenzie rivers, north of Eugene-Springfield are in Lane County.

Partners: McKenzie River Trust, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Green Family, Bonneville Power Administration, others.

Notes: The McKenzie River Trust took purchased almost 900 acres on Green Island in 2003 for $1.7 million; most of the rest of the 1,300-acre island complex was already in public ownership. The property includes 500 acres of farmland, eight different islands, and over 11 miles of river frontage including four miles of the Willamette River and four and a half miles of the old McKenzie channel. Habitat restoration work is proceeding in stages, with some levees removed in 2007 and extensive plantings to re-establish riparian forests. Green Island supports multiple federally and state listed species such as the spring chinook salmon, western pond turtle, red-legged frog, bald eagle, and bull trout. There is also a small population of Oregon chub, a minnow that is only found in the Willamette Basin. More than 130 bird species have been observed, including 75 nesting species and 42 species listed as “species of concern”.

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