Gearhart Community and Land Conservancy Partner to Conserve Creekside Property

North Coast Land Conservancy has partnered with the community of Gearhart to conserve roughly 0.74 acres along Neacoxie Creek in Gearhart for the purpose of environmental stewardship, with long-term benefits for the health and well-being of community members, native plants, and wildlife.

“Conservation of these creekside properties will help ensure the protection of important freshwater ecosystems, Sitka-spruce swamp, and forested, riparian wetlands,” NCLC Conservation Director Mark McLaughlin says.

The two parcels, acquired by NCLC on Sept. 15, are located within city limits, between 1^st and 2^nd streets, and adjacent to Neacoxie Creek. The creek—beloved by many—is nestled among dune ridges to the west of U.S. Highway 101; it is flanked by tall forests and coastal prairies. For birds, elk, otters, butterflies, trout and animals of all kinds, it’s a critical wildlife corridor composed of special and diverse habitats. For local residents, it’s a celebrated backdrop to their homes, neighborhoods, and favorite places. Much of the Neacoxie Wildlife Corridor is in parcellated, private ownership, leaving the bounty of natural life that it supports particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of habitat fragmentation.

Over the past several years, there has been significant interest within the community around conserving these two currently undeveloped properties. Thanks to funding provided by invested neighbors, NCLC completed the purchase, with the goal of working with the City of Gearhart and residents on long-term stewardship of the site to keep the wildlife corridor connected and thriving.

Not only is this newly conserved area cherished as ecologically important forest, but it also provides a beautiful preserved natural area within city limits, highlighting the acquisition’s long-term value as a community conservation project that aligns with NCLC’s conservation and strategic plans.

It also will help protect riparian forest in an area that is subject to the threats of sea-level rise and the impacts of a changing climate.

Additionally, the land is located within an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Conservation Opportunity Area. At present, salmonids are able to utilize Neacoxie Creek up to a likely fish barrier under Pacific Way, just downstream of the property. There is potential for reconnecting salmon habitat throughout this reach of Neacoxie Creek through future restoration projects.