Land trust buys Whychus preserve
Whychus Canyon Preserve. Photo: Byron Dudley.
The Deschutes Land Trust has bought 450 acres of land northeast of Sisters to protect as the Whychus Canyon Preserve, designed to include a trail system that will be open to the public as well as improved fish habitat. And the group is about $20,000 shy of making its goal of raising $2.9 million for the project, which will also help fund restoration work and serve as an endowment for the property, according to Executive Director Brad Chalfant.
Chalfant said he is confident that with additional pledges and anticipated donations, the Bend nonprofit will be able to reach that figure by the end of the week.
“The year-end push is always a feverish one, but I think things are coming together,” he said. “We’ve had lots of conversations with folks, some pledges and some commitments that would get us to where we need to go.”
The property stretches along two miles of Whychus Creek, downstream of Sisters, and the Land Trust finalized the purchase last week.
Most of the funds to buy the property came from sources such as the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, which gives grants funded by the lottery, the Pelton Fund and other foundations, but the Land Trust had to raise $400,000 from private donations.
The organization turned to a variety of groups who could be particularly interested in the proposed Whychus Canyon Preserve, Chalfant said, including fly fishermen and birders, hikers and Sisters residents.
“The opportunity that this property creates, for essentially a future regional trail system that runs from Sisters all the way out to the (Crooked River) National Grasslands, is a pretty significant one,” he said.
The proposed preserve could also provide prime habitat for steelhead that biologists are working to reintroduce to Whychus Creek, Chalfant said, adding that he was pleased to see the fishing community’s interest in the project.
One thing Chalfant said he is concerned about, however, is that the donations to the Whychus Canyon project could be overshadowing regular donations for the Land Trust’s ongoing operating costs — which allow staffers to set up projects like the Whychus effort.
“This is still a tough economy, and it’s a tough time for all nonprofits,” he said. “In a way, we’re competing against ourselves.”
With the funds almost all in line for the Whychus Canyon Preserve, Chalfant said the question is more about when work could start on setting up a trail system and restoring habitat once the purchase goes through — something he said he hopes to do as soon as possible.
“Our hope is to get the property opened up for a dedication sometime this summer,” he said, “so that we’ve got a good access point for people to get onto the property, to get down into the canyon for those that want to fish or bird.”
Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 541-382-1811 or at kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.
