Stewardship

Healing Ecological Wounds – Reintroducing Good Fire

Healing Ecological Wounds – Reintroducing Good Fire

Finally, after a century of fire suppression, finally, a healing 32-acre managed grassland burn returned to the Rogue River Preserve on October 18, 2025. But it took some perseverance to make it happen. We are tremendously grateful for the professional crew from Grayback Forestry Inc. who conducted the burn and for all the preserve’s neighbors who provided input.

Cobra-Lily Springs: Rare Habitats Now Protected

Cobra-Lily Springs:  Rare Habitats Now Protected

On our first visit to Eight Dollar Mountain near Cave Junction, we were greeted by the red brilliance of blooming Vollmer’s lily, the strange beauty of carnivorous cobra-lilies, and the flash of dragonflies and butterflies. From this colorful wetland, the view stretched south to the sparkling Illinois River. Now, this remarkable 71-acre site is permanently protected as Southern Oregon Land Conservancy’s newest preserve: Cobra-lily Springs.

Bear Gulch Preserve Extends Conserved Connectivity Corridor

Bear Gulch Preserve Extends Conserved Connectivity Corridor

Bear Gulch Preserve lies within one of Oregon's most significant ecological corridors, a crossroads between three mountain ranges: the Cascade, Siskiyou, and Klamath Mountains. It stretches through our Colestin-Siskiyou Summit Focus Area, one of several key zones whose distinctive diversity prioritizes their conservation.

Snags, Downed Wood, and Fire

What are wildlife-loving landowners and land managers to do? In this article, Forest Ecologist and SOLC Land Steward Lyndia Hammer delves into the details of forest management for fire preparedness while preserving wildlife habitat. Lyndia visits the conserved White Oak Farm's ecological thinning site as a case study for doing just that.