Photo: Crooked River Watershed Council/Scott Nelson.

Planning for the future of Ochoco Preserve

May 10, 2020 by Sarah Mowry
The Land Trust has launched a planning process to develop a conceptual design for future restoration and community access. Learn more about this effort.

Questions? Contact our team!

Do you have questions, kudos, or other feedback? Let us know: info@deschuteslandtrust.org


The Land Trust has launched a planning process to chart the future of our Ochoco Preserve near Prineville. This spring we chose a contractor to develop a conceptual design for future restoration and community access. We will be working with this contractor and local community partners to assess opportunities for the Preserve.

With 1 mile of the Crooked River, 1/2 mile of McKay Creek, and 1/2 mile of Ochoco Creek, Ochoco Preserve has significant potential for restoring habitat for fish and wildlife. Our hope is to restore some of the natural processes that the Crooked River, Ochoco Creek, and McKay Creek would have had historically. This includes creating more habitat for fish and wildlife and reconnecting the waterways to their historic floodplain.

Ochoco Preserve also has significant potential for community connections. We hope this planning process will also help us understand how we could offer trails and interpretive sites at the Preserve, and connect those trails to nearby City of Prineville trail systems. Stay tuned for more on this exciting project!

Learn more: