EUGENE, Oregon, October 31, 2025 (ENS) – The Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District, UWSWCD, is planning to acquire a 200+ acre hazelnut orchard located on the lower McKenzie River to protect the drinking water of Eugene, a college city of about 200,000 people that hosts the University of Oregon.
Known as the Rice Farm, it’s one of the oldest working hazelnut orchards in Lane County.
Along with the orchard, the farm includes river and stream environments that are a vital source of habitat for fish and wildlife along Cedar Creek and the McKenzie River…