Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council
$49,997  Willamette Valley Ecoregion  Addresses drought

This project restores 20 acres of rural oak woodland and upland prairie habitat on Creswell Butte, an iconic, permanently conserved 74-acre natural area in the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed, south of Creswell. Creswell Butte itself is seen from the I-5 corridor and is within Creswell’s viewscape. This proposed work is a key step toward creating safe access to the butte for restoration, recreation, trail development & fire prevention. Creswell Butte was gifted as a viewshed conservation easement to McKenzie River Trust in the 2000s. Donated to form a preserve with plans for public and tribal access, and educational opportunities, Creswell Butte has had little active management over the last two decades. The butte shares a boundary with the City of Creswell’s UGB and is near the West Eugene Conservation Opportunity Area (2.25 mi). It contains habitat for native plants and animals including a rare plant at risk of extirpation.