As population continues to increase in the Willamette Valley, careful planning and timely action are essential to assure that open spaces will always provide a balance with the anticipated additional residential and business development. The mission of the Greenbelt Land Trust acts to conserve important natural areas in order to enhance our quality of life and sense of place. Conserving large areas of habitats such as oak woodlands and savannahs, wetlands, uplant and wetland prairies and farm and forest lands enables residents and visitors to experience natural areas on a daily basis. In order to endure that these lands remain part of the fabric of our communities, the Greenbelt Land Trust must act without delay to protect our natural areas.

The Evergreen Creek property is 221 acres of wetlands, riparian zones, and farmland located south of Philomath along Evergreen Creek in the Muddy Creek watershed. With it's gentle sloping topography and over 40 acres of wetlands, this property provides a great opportunity to restore rare Willamette Valley habitats to benefit a variety of fish, wildlife, and plant species. Historic habitats included wet and dry prairies, wetlands, and mixed oak-conifer woodland. Greenbelt plands to conserve the existing native habitats and restore the farmed lands to native prairie, savanna, marsh, and riparian habitats.

In 2002, Owens Farm, an area of agricultural fields, hardwood forests, wetlands and wooded riparian corridors located jsut north of Corvallis, was made available for sale. Greenbelt, the City of Corvallis and Samaritan Health Services responded quickly, partnering to acquire this critically important 310 acre farm, with Greenbelt managing the northern 95 acres. The importance of this purchase is hard to overstate. Rare plant and wildlife species are found in less disturbed parts of the site, and the Farm functions a critical link in the Jackson-Frazier watershed, and a potential connection to other open spaces including Chip Ross Park and McDonald Forest.

In 2006 the Greenbelt Land Trust permanently protected the 58-acre Lupine Meadows in Philomath. Lupine Meadows is a unique property containing wetland and upland prairies, two of the rarest habitat types in the Willamette Valley. This property supports the endangered Fender's blue butterfly, and the threatened Kincaid's lupine and Nelson's checkermallow. Lupine Meadows is located within the Newton Creek watershed and serves as an important connection to other conserved properties such as Bald Hill and Fitton Green. The complex wetland system on the site helps to store winter runoff and reduce flooding of downstream properties along Newton Creek.

Greenbelt is in the process of finalizing three new, large projects by the fall of 2009. Check back, as we will be updating the Earthshare site with information on our exciting new ventures!

For more information on any of our properties, or to get involved in volunteer restoration activities, please visit our website: www.greenbeltlandtrust.org or our blog: www.greenbeltlandtrust.wordpress.com