All posts by Jessica McDonald

Trails for All

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As I crest the hill at Fitton Green before descending into the forest shade of Mulkey Ridge, I feel free. Miles of trail stretch out before me, providing options for meanders and loops to my heart’s content. My appreciation for access to the outdoors and the curative powers of nature has reached an all-time high during this pandemic.

And yet I am more keenly aware than ever that my carefree independence in these natural areas is a privilege that is not shared with all in our community. As racist confrontations on trails and in parks come to light across the country, Corvallis is not spared. The same racism that Christian Cooper encountered in New York City is happening right here in our community, in our natural areas, and on our trails.

When we talk about trails being for ALL people, we sidestep the reality that people of color encounter barriers to the outdoors every day. We must do better.

To my black friends and family who strategize on how to employ defense mechanisms in order to ward off confrontations when outdoors, we are listening to you. To our Spanish-speaking families who arrive at parks to find only English-language signs at the trailheads, we are listening to you. For the child whose dreams of becoming a bird watcher are squashed before they can blossom because of the color of his skin, we are listening to you.

As stewards of trails and open spaces in our community, we have a lot of learning to do. We need to recognize how systems of oppression are perpetuated in our natural areas, and stand against them. We need to deepen our commitment to building equitable access to nature where everyone feels safe and welcome. And we must use our voices to speak against racism, injustice and inequality.

Jessica McDonald
Executive Director, Greenbelt Land Trust

  • Published as a guest column in the Corvallis Gazette Times, June 3, 2020

    Photo: Joy Gipson

Meet Our Executive Director

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Jessica McDonald, Executive Director

Thank you for being long time friends, supporters and collaborative partners of Greenbelt Land Trust!

The Board and Staff of Greenbelt Land Trust are delighted to announce Jessica McDonald as their new Executive Director. Five months ago we launched a nationwide search that attracted a large number of applicants, given Greenbelt’s excellent and well-earned reputation regionally and nationally.  A rigorous selection and interview  process culminated in the Board of Directors’ unanimous decision to select McDonald to lead the organization. Jessica succeeds Michael Pope, whose leadership guided the organization for the last 10 years.

Jessica has been steeped in land trust leadership for 11 years, and brings a deep knowledge of conservation, fundraising, and coalition-building to the organization.  She joined the staff of Greenbelt Land Trust in 2009 as Development Director, building the organization’s fundraising and outreach programs. In 2016 Jessica  transitioned into the role of Associate Director, where she led the creation of the organization’s business and strategic plans, directed a capital campaign, and led a national accreditation effort. Under Jessica’s guidance  Greenbelt has tripled its operational assets and annual income and expanded its regional reach.

To her new role as executive director Jessica brings a deep commitment to the land trust’s mission, and long-standing relationships with our donors and partners. She helped launch the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts in 2011, and continues to serve in leadership capacities to move statewide conservation policies forward.  She has established a national reputation as a strategic leader and respectful collaborator. In addition to her leadership in conservation, Jessica has demonstrated inspiring community leadership, investing in regional movements to identify creative solutions for affordable housing, homelessness, and voter education.

Raised in the Willamette Valley, Jessica’s sense of place and commitment to the legacy of our region and the health of our communities is clear.  “I came to understand early on the awesome responsibility we all share to be stewards of these lands and rivers in our backyard. As we look to the future of this region, the path ahead of us is daunting. We face a climate in crisis, increasing demands on our natural resources, and an economy on shaky ground. However, I am confident that we will rise to the challenge and move our conservation vision forward at this critical moment. Together with a talented staff and with our inspiring donors, partners and volunteer leadership, we are poised to grow our legacy for generations to come. I am honored to take the helm from my friend Michael Pope, and excited for the next chapter of Greenbelt Land Trust.”

Cheers to you, our supporters and partners – and here’s to the legacy we are creating together!

Curtis Rose, Board President

Where You At?

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While the rain slants sideways out the window and the birds huddle into the bushes outside our front door at work, I like to close my eyes and think about summer. While rain is welcomed and encouraged, it’s also easy to be lost in reverie of summer sun, soft meadow grass, blue skies, and berries. Ah, summer.

Summer musings bring me back to months ago, sitting in a circle at Bald Hill Farm as our state’s dynamic and reflective poet laureate, Kim Stafford, led a writing workshop with Greenbelt. We sit low to the ground, shoes cast aside. First, rather than doing introductions Kim has the everyone say what they dedicate their life to (oh, the fascinating responses … ‘silence’, ‘fish’, ‘children’), and then we all take a type of quiz.  What do we know about this place we call home? How acquainted are with with the biota of place? How can we dig deeper?

Aren’t these quiet times of winter just ripe for reflection? Like our wildlife kin, we nest into nooks. As your tea steeps and maybe a warm cat nestles into your lap, let’s take this down-time to get acquainted with place, with our home.

PS: Maybe this quiz would be fun for the family dinner table? A lunch break with fellow staff members?

Where You At
A Bio-Regional Quiz

What follows is a self-scoring test on basic environmental perception of place:

  1. Trace the water you drink from precipitation to tap.
  2. How many days till the moon is full?
  3. What soil series are you standing on?
  4. What was the total rainfall in your area last year (June-July)?
  5. When was the last time a fire burned your area?
  6. What were the primary subsistence techniques of the culture that lives in your area before you?
  7. Name five edible plants in your region and their seasons of availability.
  8. From what direction to winter storms generally come in your region?
  9. Where does your garbage go?
  10. How long is the growing season where you live?
  11. On what day of the year are the shadows shortest?
  12. When do deer rut in your region, and when are the young born?
  13. Name five grasses in your area. Are any of them native?
  14. Name five resident and five migratory birds in your area.
  15. What is the land use history where you live?
  16. What primary geological event/process influenced the land form where you live? (Bonus – what’s the evidence?)
  17. What species have become extinct in your area?
  18. What are the major plant associations in your region?
  19. From where you are reading this, point north.
  20. What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom where you live?

“Bio-Regional Quiz,” co-written by Gary Snyder and others, from CoEvolution Quarterly, No. 32 (Winter 1981), p.a1.

A writer’s workshop at Bald Hill Farm

Earthmoving for water

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Horseshoe Lake EarthmovingGetting their feet wet: Intel and other big firms begin to fund Willamette River restoration work
BENNETT HALL Corvallis Gazette-Times
Oct 6, 2019

“It’s a hot day in late July, and Matt Blakely-Smith is leading a tour of the Greenbelt Land Trust’s latest restoration project at Horseshoe Lake, a 236-acre piece of former farm property that wraps around a bend in the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany.

The nonprofit environmental group has brought in a local excavating firm to take out two raised farm roads that form a dam across the arms of Horseshoe Lake, a cut-off oxbow that once was part of the Willamette mainstem… read the full story here.”

35 acres forever!

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35 acres protected

35 acres protected!

Greenbelt is excited to announce that we recently closed on a new conservation easement — protecting 35 acres along the Muddy Creek — forever!

Strategically investing in protecting our water sources, habitats and working landscapes are the foundation of Greenbelt’s conservation priorities.  The Muddy Creek corridor in Benton County running from Corvallis to Finley Refuge and up into its headwater near Alpine, has been a conservation priority for Greenbelt for nearly 20 years.  This region benefits from the fish, wildlife and plant diversity this corridor provides as well as the increased watershed function.

Muddy Creek is designated a priority corridor for restoration and conservation by Greenbelt and our partners including  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marys River Watershed Council, The Institute for Applied Ecology, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and others.  Greenbelt and our partners are working to create a healthy and resilient region that will continue to support the diversity of species and naturally functioning water systems.

If you can imagine walking through a richly diverse forest dominated by Oregon white oak and Oregon ash trees, native shrubs and flowering understory plants you can understand how this area is a culturally significant area for the bands of Kalapuya Indians who traditionally inhabited this region.  Throughout the basin and specifically on this property, the oak structure found in the riparian habitat range from large open canopy trees with branches sweeping the ground to mixed-aged woodland trees with native understory. The understory includes native shrubs such as Indian plum and snowberry and forbs such as camas and fawn lilies. The riparian forest provides shade and bank stabilization to Muddy Creek along with nutrient cycling and acts as a dynamic interface between land and water. The forest supports an array of wildlife species including deer, cougar and bobcat, red-legged frogs and rough-skinned newts, and resident and migratory birds. A vibrant, resilient and functioning riparian habitat such as this, provides the necessary shade, cover and forage for the fish and wildlife benefits of healthy water and creek habitat.

Muddy Creek is a low gradient valley bottom stream that meanders through the riparian habitat of the property. Unique to the Valley bottom Muddy Creek remains unchannelized and has an active and functioning floodplain that inundates regularly. The stream, swales, and floodplain provide refuge, foraging, and migration habitats for Oregon chub, cutthroat trout, and other native fish.

Conserved lands, like these 35 acres, also help provide clean drinking water, improved floodwater storage capacity, increased groundwater recharge,  and enhanced ecosystem services for downstream communities.

Greenbelt’s work to protect the land is strategic and intentional. We develop our conservation priorities around building a connected, healthy and resilient landscape that supports nature and people.