On our first visit to this stunning site on Eight Dollar Mountain near Cave Junction, we were greeted with the red brilliance of the flowering Vollmer’s lily shifting in the light breeze. Further on, we walked over squishy wet ground that merged onto one of several serpentine fens, a type of rare wetland. Beautifully strange-looking carnivorous cobra-lily plants flourished in abundance. Dragonflies and butterflies darted all around. Taking in the colorful biodiversity, it was perhaps easy to overlook the views from this vantage point – to the south, the Illinois River flowed through the Illinois Valley, sparkling in the sun.

This land has now become Southern Oregon Land Conservancy’s newest preserve, 71 acres that we have named Cobra-lily Springs. Within the ancestral lands of the Western Takelma people, the preserve spreads out along the base of Eight Dollar Mountain and adds to the network of preserves that we own and manage in Josephine County. This preserve came to be through the generous donation of the land from Linda Park and Denis Janky whose love for this dramatic landscape and its rich plant diversity resulted in its conservation with SOLC. In their own words:

“Our appreciation for the unique biological and geological features of the Cobra-lily Springs property deepened during the years we owned it. This led to our desire to preserve the land in its natural state in perpetuity, while also making it accessible for scientific and educational purposes. Donating the land to SOLC has accomplished these goals, and we are thrilled!”

While other lands in the area face threats of subdivision, development, and mining, this land is now protected forever.

Eight Dollar Mountain is a special place. Naturalists and scientists recognize it as a biodiversity hotspot in Oregon, supporting a high concentration of rare and endemic plant species. The mountain also serves as an iconic landform and scenic resource -- a cone-shaped formation composed of ultramafic (periodite) rock, which originates from the Earth’s mantle. This creates conditions in which unique plants thrive in the soils that are low in nutrients and high in heavy metals. The area is also recognized for its abundant water resources. The rocks are highly fractured which allows water to flow to the surface in multiple places. Eight Dollar Mountain is designated as an Oregon Natural Area and is included on the Oregon Register of Natural Heritage Resources, established by the Oregon Legislature.

Many rare and spectacular plants live at Cobra-lily Springs, a reflection of the unique ecology that supports species suited to the ultramafic soils. Plus, the preserve has voluminous seeps, wetlands, streams, and a prolific spring. The landcover is Jeffrey pine savanna and mixed forests with a bunchgrass understory along with oaks, shrublands, and chaparral, interspersed with wet and dry meadows. So far, we have found several rare plants including a large population of the federally-endangered Cook’s desert parsley and the state-listed Howell's mariposa lily among others. We have also observed diverse bird life and many mammals like black bear, coyote, and black-tailed jackrabbits. It’s great habitat for the foothill yellow-legged frog, western toad, and the western pond turtle, all rare and declining. As we learn more about this preserve, we will no doubt discover more wonders to share.

The preserve sits in a key strategic location for conservation, building upon a network of conserved lands. It is adjacent to Bureau of Land Management lands that are managed as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and U.S. Forest Service lands managed for botanical resources, and that connect to vast wilderness areas. A multi-agency effort protects Eight Dollar Mountain for its unique biodiversity. The land is situated in an Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife priority wildlife connectivity area because it supports excellent habitat for wildlife movement. It’s a stone’s throw from the wild and scenic section of the Illinois River, and SOLC owns another preserve on Eight Dollar Mountain, just to the north. By protecting Cobra-lily Springs we are also contributing to the conservation of species and habitats on connected lands.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the donors of this wonderful preserve land whose generosity has resulted in its permanent conservation.