April 30, 2002

For more information please contact:

Sue Doroff, Western Rivers Conservancy, 503-241-0151
Barb Raible, Bureau of Land Management, 503-375-5687

Sandy River Conservation Effort Comes to a Successful Conclusion: Land purchase by the BLM protects middle Sandy River corridor from gravel mining

Sandy, OR ~ Sandy, Oregon A crucial stretch of the middle Sandy River has been permanently protected from gravel mining and placed in public ownership thanks to the Oregon Congressional delegation and a partnership of agencies.

On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management purchased 273 acres of the controversial Koch Ranch on the middle Sandy River from a Portland conservation organization, River Network. The purchase was made possible by funding from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund, secured for the BLM by Oregon's Congressional delegation.

Senator Gordon Smith said that the appropriation for the Sandy River project was a team effort by the entire delegation. "The Sandy River is a jewel that should be protected for all time," said Smith. "The effort to set aside the Koch Ranch was a perfect example of the joint public-private efforts that have characterized many of our state's environmental efforts and should set the example for how we approach some of our most intractable environmental challenges."

Clackamas County approved gravel mining on the ranch in February of 2000. Fearing that gravel mining would damage important spawning habitat for endangered salmon, River Network purchased the land from its owners in 2001. The Bureau of Land Management agreed to buy the land from River Network in order to manage it as fish and wildlife habitat and a recreational resource for the public.

Dick Prather, Field Manager for BLM's Cascades Resource Area, expressed his thanks for the help from all the partners, and particularly the support of the Oregon Congressional delegation. "This Sandy River parcel truly embodies many of the key natural resource issues in the Northwest: livability, urban growth, water quality, recreation, habitat for threatened and endangered species, salmon, and open space. Acquisition by the BLM will preserve the natural values of the property for future generations. Prather indicated that later this year the BLM will remove invasive plants that have become established on the site and begin work to restore native vegetation.

"The middle Sandy River gorge is one of the most beautiful, and least known treasures in the Pacific Northwest," said Sue Doroff of the Western Rivers Conservancy, which managed the project for River Network. "Acquisition of the Koch Ranch by BLM is an important step in protecting this treasure, and realizing our vision of creating a nature preserve within minutes of a major metropolitan area."

The Koch Ranch purchase is the second phase in a campaign to create an eleven mile nature preserve along the Sandy River. The campaign is a partnership among the Bureau of Land Management, the Western Rivers Conservancy, and Portland General Electric, which is decommissioning Marmot Dam on the Sandy River. In April of 2001 PGE donated sixty acres of property on the Sandy to the Western Rivers Conservancy, which conveyed it along with 154 acres of other land to the Bureau of Land Management.

Portland General Electric originated the idea for a Sandy River Refuge in 1999, as part of its plans for decommissioning and removing Marmot Dam. "PGE was pleased to be part of this very positive partnership between public and private interests," said Julie Keil, Director of Hydro Licensing at PGE. "This project speaks to our very core philosophy of balancing the environment with the operation of an efficient hydro power system." In addition to launching the program and donating Sandy River lands, PGE also loaned money for the Dodge Ranch purchase to River Network. "We absolutely could not have done this acquisition without PGE's help," stated Doroff of Western Rivers Conservancy. "They came to our rescue with a loan at the critical moment." Additional financing for the project came from Portland's Meyer Memorial Trust and from the Bullitt Foundation, a Seattle-based environmental protection organization.

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