Learn About the Rigdon Landscape Project Through Our Guest Blog Series

Through multiple guest blog series, our partners have helped us tell the story of the Rigdon Landscape Project!

We formed the Rigdon Collaboration Committee in 2016 to work with the Forest Service on the Rigdon Landscape Project. We facilitated learning sessions, field trips, and roundtable discussions. After education sessions concluded, the group transitioned to roundtable discussions. This allowed committee members provided feedback to the Forest Service Interdisciplinary Team for future actions.

About the Landscape
The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Over the years, climate and fire have maintained mixed conifer forests and scattered wet and dry meadows. This landscape provides habitat for spring chinook, bull trout, and the northern spotted owl. Historical native tribes occupied this area and prescribed low intensity fires every 5-10 years. Over the last 150 years fire suppression has created dense forests. As a result the landscape has become less resilient and prone to high intensity wildfires.

About the Project

Rigdon Fire History

What Rigdon Means to our Partners

Rigdon Monarchs & Meadows

What Rigdon Means to Me: Seneca Sawmill

---

Guest Blogger: Kevin Tuers

---

Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative Participation:  I have been participating in the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative since 2016.  I was introduced to the SWFC by being on the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council Board of Directors. 

Envisioning a Healthy Rigdon Landscape

View fullsize

A healthy Rigdon Landscape has a variety of habitats that is suited for all species of plants and animals and resilient to catastrophic fires.  This healthy landscape would have the variety and diversity that can be enjoyed by all.

The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Click the map to the right to enlarge.

Visiting the Rigdon Landscape

I started recreating on the Rigdon landscape in 1988 when I was 13 years old camping and deer hunting, this was the year I shot my first buck.  You can see Diamond Peak in the Background.

I have continued to recreate for the past 32 years in the area almost every fall.  In 2006 I landed a job with Seneca Jones Timber Company based out of Eugene Oregon.  Seneca owns 21,400 Acres within the Upper Middle Fork Willamette Watershed and many of these acres are located within the Rigdon Landscape.  I am the GIS/Inventory Forester and have the pleasure of spending much of my work time in this area.

Changes Throughout the Years

The landscape has definitely changed since 1988, with the change in the forest practices by the USFS, Catastrophic fires and lack of fire presence in certain areas. These changes have led to some less than ideal habitat conditions for a variety of species.

Favorite Memory

I have many great memories of this area, but one of my favorites is taking my children huckleberry picking in the fall for the first time and watching them enjoy the fruits of nature!

Favorite Areas

Bear Ridge has always been one of my favorite areas in the Rigdon Landscape, it has a variety of different habitats as it extends down from Diamond Peak.

Restoration Opportunities

I am most excited about the fuels reduction program on the landscape and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.  I was on the Tumblebug Fire in 2009 and watched how it devastated thousands of acres in minutes.

Final Thoughts

I work and recreate in the Rigdon Landscape and have viewpoints from a variety of positions.  Growing trees for today and the future is our goal and is an investment we wish to protect.  This also creates a distributions of habitats on our lands within the landscape while providing jobs and economic benefits for the local communities.  As a recreationalist in this area I look forward to the habitat and landscape projects that will help diversify and help this landscape flourish.

---

Kevin his Daughter Aiden and pal Keta (Oncorhynchus keta) Dog Salmon

Kevin Tuers is a 6th generation Oregonian whose family has been in the timber industry for many years.  Kevin Graduated Oregon State University in 1997 with a Forestry and Wildlife Science Degree.  He has over 25 years of Forestry experience in Oregon and California. Kevin is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys camping and fishing but especially has a passion for hunting Elk and Deer in the fall.

---

What Rigdon Means to Me: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

---

Guest Blogger: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Representative

---

Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative Participation:  I have participated in the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative for many years in various capacities. The collaborative provides a constructive platform for diverse groups, agencies, and members of the public to share ideas and prospective in a respectful and productive atmosphere.

Envisioning a Healthy Rigdon Landscape

View fullsize

A healthy Rigdon landscape supports the type of habitat that should be there under natural ecological processes. These natural processes have been altered by conflicting land management activities and the interruption of natural processes. In the long term healthy, naturally functioning ecosystems will be less expensive to maintain and more resilient to anticipated climate change.

The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Click the map to the right to enlarge.

Visiting the Rigdon Landscape

I have both worked and recreated within the Rigdon Landscape for over 17 years. My professional involvement with the Rigdon project began in 2006 long before it was called Rigdon.

Changes Throughout the Years

Many of the large pine and oak trees we are trying to conserve have died since I began working on this project before it was called Rigdon. Semi‑open pine and oak stands have also been invaded by regenerating Douglas‑fir trees, exerting additional stress on the remaining pine and oaks. The shrub and forb understories are converting to barren areas of needle cast. Wildlife associated with pine and oak habitat are also diminishing. The remaining pine and oak habitats in the Rigdon project area will be lost if this project is not implemented.

Favorite Memory

My favorite memory in the Rigdon area was seeing the positive response of pine and oak associated plant and wildlife species to the restoration conducted at Jim’s Creek. This gives me hope that we can accomplish similar responses on a landscape scale.

Favorite Areas

My favorite area in Rigdon is the Jim’s Creek Project demonstration area. The Jim’s Creek area is approximately 400 acres where the Forest Service restored pine and oak habitat by manipulating vegetation and restoring fire to the landscape. Native shrub, forb, and grass planting occurred, but many of these species responded naturally from the dormant seed bed. Jim’s Creek showed me what habitat was on this landscape for hundreds or more years. Restoring this habitat is possible and will produce a landscape more resilient to expected climate shifts in the future.

Restoration Opportunities

From a wildlife and wildlife habitat perspective, I am most interested in the pine, oak, and prairie restoration components of the project. Loss of these habitat types has occurred on a large scale in the southern Willamette Valley. The proposed road closures and decommissioning will also added needed security for wildlife from disturbance, as well as, assist restoration of some interrupted hydrologic processes. Finally, the proposed floodplain restoration will provide quality riparian habitat for numerous riparian associated and dependent species. Most riparian areas located on our national forests currently lack the structural and vegetative components necessary to support wildlife associated and dependent species that rely on this habitat type.

---

THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG HAS ELECTED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS.

---

What Rigdon Means to Me: Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council

---

Guest Blogger: Sarah Dyrdahl

---

Pre-project Staley Creek Tour with USFS, SWFC, and MFWWC. Spring 2017

Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative Participation:  I have been an active member since 2016. I am currently an ex-officio, non-voting board member and I regularly participate on the Implementation Advisory Committee and the Rigdon Collaboration Committee.

Envisioning a Healthy Rigdon Landscape

View fullsize

Rivers and forests where ecosystem processes are preserved with land management, recreation, and other uses. Clean water and abundant fish and wildlife populations.  Patch complexity across the landscape where there’s a diversity of habitat types – wild rivers, meadows full of wildflowers and pollinators, fire, healthy forests, and beautiful views.

The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Click the map to the right to enlarge.

Visiting the Rigdon Landscape

Sarah, Audrey Squires (project manager), and Meta Loftsgaarden (executive director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board) tour the post-project Staley Creek floodplain. Spring 2018

I began working for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council in 2015 and the first restoration project we developed was the Staley Creek Floodplain Restoration Project in partnership with the US Forest Service Aquatics Team.  We implemented that project in 2017 and began developing the Coal Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, which was implemented in 2019.  We’re still working on building the Middle Fork Trail re-route as part of that project and expect it to be completed summer 2020.

Sugar Pine Cone

Before coming to the Middle Fork, I had never recreated in the Rigdon Landscape, but to do my job well, it’s imperative that I know the watershed intimately.  That need led to a crash course in recreating in the Rigdon area, which has been incredible.  I’d spent the last 10 or so years working in agricultural landscapes in the mid-Willamette Valley and on the Oregon coast and was instantly drawn to Rigdon because of its feeling of rugged wildness (and limited crowding), as well as forests more reminiscent of where I grew up in southern Oregon.  There are even sugar pines which are home to me.

Jims Creek

Changes Throughout the Years

The changes I notice are the active restoration actions that my organization and our partners are responsible for – the two floodplain restoration projects, a trail re-route of the Middle Fork Trail, the burning at Jim’s Creek. Other noticeable changes that aren’t human-caused are new river meanders and the activation of new and different side channels.

Favorite Memory

I can share a least favorite memory!  Early in my explorations of Rigdon, I made the mistake of trying to hike the trail from Jim’s Creek to Moon Point in early summer.  About ¾ of the way up, my poor dog and I were completely engulfed by voracious mosquitos.  I looked like the character Pig Pen from Charlie Brown – but instead of dirt, it was a swarm of mosquitos.  My poor dog had a look of remorse on her face. Long sleeves and pants did nothing to mitigate their attack.  Instead of hiking as intended, I was running the trail – in hiking boots, with my daypack.  It was the most miserable time!  We recovered on the Middle Fork Trail where the mosquitos were almost absent. 

Favorite Areas

Fall Views from Maple Creek

My favorite area depends on my mood.  There are many favorites – the vista and views from the top of Maple Creek in the fall when the Middle Fork and tributaries are a bright gold ribbon of color. (right)

If you squint into the center of this photo, you can see the Coal Creek project. Taken from the top of Jim's Creek.

The uppermost meadow at Jim’s Creek where I can sit on a sunny south-facing slope and see the Coal Creek Floodplain Restoration Project and watch turkey vultures ride the air currents for as long as the daylight lasts. I enjoy the sweet smell of the warm forest on a sunny day. (lower right)

I also enjoy regular, unstructured explorations of the Staley Creek floodplain project – to look at the active changes that are occurring there.  Rainstorms offer moments of anticipation and a learning opportunity to understand how the river interacts with and sculpts its floodplain.  Grasses, sedges, rushes, and other woody plants are emerging; cobbles, rocks, sands, and logs are sorting; and big, deep pools are forming.  Water moves in almost every direction, at varying depths.  I don’t often seen critters when I’m out, but know they’ve been there from the beaver chewed sticks to the tiny prints of what I’m betting is a river otter. 

Exploring the Staley Creek floodplain post-project

Life after disturbance: native plants come back

Restoration Opportunities

Coal Creek fish rescue crew

I am most excited about a landscape scale restoration vision and approach that pairs upland and floodplain restoration – opening up meadows and dry-mixed conifer forests and using some of that wood to restore nearby rivers and floodplains.  Learning how to manage the landscape with fire – both controlled burns and natural ignitions – will be essential.  If we can work to reduce fuel loads in the uplands, fire can become our friend, not our foe. 

We know this landscape has seen human use and interactions long before white settlers arrived.  I envision restoration actions that incorporate and engage the community – where the community has a sense of ownership over the work – and a connection to the place.  Community volunteers have worked with us to rescue fish at our floodplain restoration project.  Volunteer trail crews cleared and built new sections of the Middle Fork Trail.  High school students have helped us imagine interpretive signage.  Connecting our community to the land and water is one the most satisfying aspects of my work.

A member of Twin Rivers Charter School finds balance on a Coal Creek pre-project floodplain stump.

A Twin Rivers Charter School student tests out the restored Staley Creek floodplain

A Twin Rivers Charter School student makes temporary art in the floodplain

---

Sarah with her pal Keta.

Sarah Dyrdahl became the executive director of the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council in August 2015. Sarah has been working on rivers in Alaska and Oregon since 2004, including significant experience building and managing restoration programs for four additional watershed councils in Oregon – Coos, Calapooia, South Santiam, and North Santiam. Before migrating upstream to freshwater ecosystems, Sarah studied nearshore marine ecological communities along the Oregon Coast with the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans.

Sarah grew up in the country, on the banks of the Applegate River in southern Oregon – an experience that she weaves into her dream job of conserving and restoring rivers and landscapes through community building. When not working in the Middle Fork Willamette, Sarah can be found out exploring and enjoying the many beautiful watersheds of Oregon – on foot or by boat.

---

What Rigdon Means to Me: Back Country Horsemen

---

Guest Bloggers: Back Country Horsemen Representatives

---

Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative Participation: 3 + years.

Envisioning a Healthy Rigdon Landscape

View fullsize

The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Click the map to enlarge.

A healthy Rigdon landscape would include: natural meadows, a mature varied-species forest, clean air and water, a safe balance among all trail users, a well-maintained Middle Fork Willamette (MFW) trail, adequate designated parking for horse trailers at trail entry points, and more regulated, designated opportunities for camping, including camping for horses.

A major opportunity we are happy to contribute to, is increased bull trout populations and  family fishing potential. Our Back Country Horsemen (BCHO) commitment to this area goes beyond just equine trail use. We have donated money and time on bridges over sensitive wetlands and bogs along the trail, helping to mitigate sediment flows.  

Visiting the Rigdon Landscape

We have worked and recreated on the Middle Fork Willamette (MFW) trail for 25 years. We’ve ridden horses and maintained trails throughout the years, to include being responsible for Keele Crossing cedar puncheon (built in 2005.) Through Back Country Horsemen (BCHO), we have helped maintain the MFW Trail for 20 years and contributed funding for rebuild of several bridges on MFW trail.

Changes Throughout the Years

We’ve seen changes due to significant mountain bicycle pressure on the MFW trail. Some of our group have experienced dangerous bicycle encounters. We avoid taking horses on the MFW trail on several high use weekends in the summer when bicycle rallies and concessionnaire trips occur. As a rule, we avoid taking horses in the entire MFW area during summer weekends. 

Favorite Memories

Taking green horses along the Middle Fork Willamette Trail 20 some years ago and naming the “Weeping Wall”, which abuts the trail along the lower section. Also, the discovery of many lady slippers (Calypso) wildflowers hidden along the trail brings delight in spring. We love the lighting that enhances the trees as light filters through heavy moss in summer and as the trees change colors in the fall.

Another favorite memory is the group celebration of the members of our BCHO chapter upon completion of “Keeles’ Crossing.” We split the cedar planks on site, dug out the mud, laid cedar stringers and the hand-hewn planks for the 15 foot bog crossing. To cap it off, we took a group photo of the crew and favorite dog on the completed crossing. Smiles of satisfaction with a job well done.

Other Favorites

Areas: the Middle Fork Willamette Trail and the Youngs Rock Trail for purposes of horseback riding, and hiking, and the river for photography, and potentially for fishing.
Meadow: Rigdon Meadows. 
Tree Species: Ancient big leaf maples, large Pacific Yews and the old growth cedars and Ponderosa Pine.  It would be wonderful if some aspen could be introduced to the higher meadows.  
Creek or River: Indigo Creek and the pristine Middle Fork Willamette reach above the dam. The Staley Creek rehab is to be commended.

Final Thoughts

We would like to mention, we are appreciative of the entire staff and membership of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative for their efforts on behalf of Middle Fork restoration.

---

The authors of this blog have elected to remain anonymous.

Emerald Empire Chapter Back Country Horsemen members celebrate completion of puncheon project built on Middle Fork Willamette Trail, 2005. 

---

What Rigdon Means to Me: Oregon Wild

---

Guest Blogger: Chandra LeGue

---

Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative Participation

I’ve participated with the SWFC from near the beginning! I’ve at least been on the e-mail list since late 2014 and was involved with the Implementation Advisory Committee since 2015. gradually expanding to be a part of the Rigdon Collaboration Committee when it began in 2016.

Photo from Rigdon Field Tour

Envisioning a Healthy Rigdon Landscape

View fullsize

The Rigdon landscape encompasses four Middle Fork Willamette sub-watersheds south of Oakridge, Oregon. Click the map to enlarge.

I personally love seeing forests in the Rigdon area with a mix of species like incense cedar, chinquapin, madrone, Ponderosa pine, yew, and Douglas-fir - areas that were often more open in the past, and had pretty frequent fires.

There’s no doubt that human management (fire suppression, logging) has changed these forests over the past century. To me, it is important to recognize our role in creating these changes and consider the importance of these mixed conifer forests and in the future landscape and the fire that help them thrive, but it’s also important to consider the importance of the habitat and forests that have developed over time. The denser 100-year old forests that have grown in many places (or that were always more dense and moist) are also really important for native species like red tree voles and northern spotted owls - especially when you consider the heavily logged and fragmented landscape these older forest pockets are scattered among.

Balancing the needs of these species and importance of this type of habitat with the more historic, more open mixed conifer forests and the ecosystem components that come with those is difficult.  And while restoration activities can play a role in finding that balance, we also need to consider how we can let some of the forests develop on their own without more “management”, or how to allow natural processes like fire to play the role they are meant to.  A healthy landscape has all the ecosystem pieces it needs for adapting to change, and can function as more of a connected ecosystem that supports native species of all kinds and can adapt to climate change and natural disturbances better. I’m excited to see more floodplain restoration within the landscape and using fire (prescribed and allowing more naturally-caused fire) as a tool for restoration.

A healthy landscape has all the ecosystem pieces it needs for adapting to change, and can function as more of a connected ecosystem that supports native species of all kinds and can adapt to climate change and natural disturbances better.

Visiting the Rigdon Landscape

I’ve visited the upper Middle Fork for a long time - hiking and camping, etc. - though often higher up in the watershed than the mixed conifer area of Rigdon. In my work with Oregon Wild, I’ve toured Forest Service projects (including the Tumblebug Fire area right after it burned) and led hikes and trips. I’ve also been on the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council for several years so have supported and toured projects like Staley Creek and Coal Creek.   

Favorite Memory

Staley Creek Floodplain Restoration Project

Putting on waders and climbing around in Staley Creek a year after the floodplain project was completed was wonderful. I haven’t done much walking around in rivers, and doing so gives you a really unique perspective on how the water flows, where there is good habitat for fish, and how the forest and vegetation influences the stream (and vice versa). I love opportunities to see how ecosystems work, and how restoring ecosystem processes (from active floodplains to more natural fire regimes) benefits so much more than one species. 

Final Thoughts

I’m super excited that wolves are moving into the Ridgon landscape area and upper Middle Fork watershed. To me, this shows that areas where natural processes like fire are occurring (and connected across landscapes) can help the whole ecosystem (including wildlife) recover from decades of human-caused problems.

---

Chandra LeGue is the Western Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild in its Eugene office, where she has worked since 2003 promoting policies that protect and restore Oregon’s forests and engaging the public in the organization’s work. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, and is also the author of the book Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide.

---