Ash Creek Easement

Type of Project: Conservation Easement

In 2004, the Ward family donated a conservation easement on 30 acres of intact riparian hardwood forest featuring large, old Oregon ash and Oregon white oak along the Middle Fork of Ash Creek. In 2018, Madeline Hall and Joseph Fisher chose to greatly expand the Ash Creek conservation area, further protecting the Middle Fork of Ash Creek and the prime farmland soils and agricultural legacy of their land on the edge of the rapidly growing city of Monmouth.

The easement also protects prime farmland soils supporting continued operation of a Century Farm and habitat for a diverse list of resident and migratory bird species. The property has a rich archaeological history.