May 1, 2001

Western Rivers Conservancy Preserves More Property Along the Sandy River

Dodge Ranch purchase protects middle Sandy River corridor from gravel mining

Sandy, OR - A crucial stretch of the middle Sandy River has been permanently protected from gravel mining thanks to a Portland-based river conservation organization.

Western Rivers Conservancy purchased 273 acres of the controversial Dodge Ranch. Clackamas County approved gravel mining on the ranch in February 2000. Gravel mining would have damaged important spawning habitat for endangered Salmon.

"Acquisition of the Dodge Ranch is an important step in protecting this treasure, and realizing our vision of creating a nature preserve within minutes of a major metropolitan area," said Phil Wallin, President of Western Rivers Conservancy.

State Senator Rick Metsger played an important role in facilitating the purchase, which took more than two years to complete. Metsger says a preserve along the Sandy River is important to the community's long-term quality of life.

"Throughout this process a number of people within the community encouraged our efforts. Western Rivers Conservancy's tenacity in working through the complexities of this purchase will be appreciated for generations to come."

The Dodge Ranch purchase comes just two weeks after Western Rivers Conservancy announced its partnership with Portland General Electric and the Bureau of Land Management in creating an eleven mile nature preserve along the Sandy River. PGE donated sixty acres of property to Western Rivers Conservancy. The Conservancy conveyed the PGE land and 154 acres from an earlier purchase to the Bureau of Land Management in early April.

Loans for the Dodge Ranch purchase came from Portland General Electric and the Bullitt Foundation, a Seattle-based environmental protection organization. Western Rivers Conservancy hopes to transfer the property to the BLM sometime next year.

# # #

Back to previous page