By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews.com
YACHATS — Barring any unexpected hiccups, one of the central Oregon coast’s largest and oldest protected forest sanctuaries will expand significantly by the end of the month.
Ten Mile Creek Sanctuary, located just south of Yachats and owned by Portland Audubon, will increase from its current size of 220 acres to 340 acres after a land-acquisition deal closes on or before Jan. 31.
“We don’t anticipate any challenges before then, but we just need to be sure that every last detail is in order,” said Bob Sallinger, Portland Audubon’s conservation director. “But it’s a pretty big deal and we’re very excited about it.”
Portland Audubon is buying two parcels of land, measuring 80 and 40 acres, respectively, located at either end of its Ten Mile Creek holding.
Seattle-based Shotpouch Foundation, a non-profit environmental group, bought the parcels a number of years ago after its founder, Franz Dolp, toured the area with Paul Engelmeyer of Yachats, Ten Mile Creek’s long-time manager. Shotpouch decided to sell the land to Portland Audubon so it could focus its forest restoration and preservation efforts on land it owns elsewhere in the Coast range, Engelmeyer said.
Ten Mile Creek lies at the heart of the largest and most intact marbled murrelet habitat patches remaining in the lower 48 states, he said. Its old-growth forests, along with its spotted owl and native salmon populations, make it one of the Coast Range’s most prized ecological reserves.
The sanctuary is not open to the public. Instead, it is used for what he called targeted outreach, education and limited field trips.
Three anonymous donors provided the $150,000 to a buy the new acreage, Sallinger said.
“These kinds of lands are always at risk until they are fully protected,” Engelmeyer said. “Ten Mile Creek has been an incredibly powerful piece of the puzzle in managing this conservation agenda. To see it only grow larger is very rewarding.”
The National Audubon Society initially acquired Ten Mile Creek Sanctuary in 1990 as battles raged to protect the state’s old-growth forests. Sallinger said Engelmeyer approached Audubon about buying the land, which was slated for harvest.
Engelmeyer’s main argument was that Ten Mile Creek’s acquisition would give Audubon a larger voice in its efforts to protect what was then viewed as the largest chunk of coastal temperate rainforest remaining in the continental United States.
National Audubon transferred Ten Mile Creek, along with another 96 acres of habitat called Pine Tree Sanctuary just up the road, to Portland Audubon in 2004.
“So much credits goes to Paul for all of this,” Sallinger said. “It’s an amazing body of work he has put together literally over the decades on the Oregon coast.”
- Dana Tims is an Oregon freelance writer who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. He can be reached at DanaTims24@gmail.com
