Ranch Along Oregon's Deer Creek will be Dedicated to Conservation, Research

Oregon's Wild and Scenic Illinois River valley will soon have a nationally significant center for ecological research, environmental education and riparian restoration. Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) has signed an agreement to purchase an 870-acre ranch along Deer Creek, a major tributary to the Illinois River. The ranch will be set aside as a field research station and educational facility.

Deer Creek is located in the heart of the Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion, an area of top-quality streams in southern Oregon and one of the richest and most diverse bioregions in the world. WRC is working to acquire the site in partnership with a consortium of educational institutions that will manage and utilize the facility on Deer Creek: The Siskiyou Field Institute, Southern Oregon University, Humboldt State University (CA) and Rogue Community College.

"This site will allow Siskiyou Field Institute to expand its cadre of field-based natural history courses to serve people aged six to eighty with comprehensive, year-round programs," says Sue Parrish, Director of the Siskiyou Field Institute. "This will build southern Oregon's brain trust, its commitment to a pristine environment and a sustainable economy for generations to come - truly a rare opportunity!"