A serene slice of paradise west of Spencer Butte lies near the top of the Eugene Parks Foundation’s current project list. The property’s acres upon acres of mature trees are about a 15-minute drive southwest from downtown Eugene, with the potential to become an accessible escape to tranquility.
To-do: Acquire the Forest Ranch Park property.
EPF recently received an $800,000 matching donor grant that will be used to procure a property slated to become the Forest Ranch Park. The 73-acre property has not been timbered for over 75 years, allowing a lush landscape of mature pine trees, open meadows and abundant wildlife to thrive. Located across from the Spencer Creek Grange near Lorane Highway and McBeth Road, the property provides an opportunity for recreators to escape the bustle of Eugene into a serene patch of nature just outside the city.
The eventual acquisition of this property furthers the region’s greater Rivers to Ridges vision, which includes a coalition of organizations collaborative to restore, preserve and manage open spaces in the Willamette Valley. An integral piece of this vision is the intent to connect open, green spaces, effectively integrating connectivity across all of our region’s natural landscapes — literally from rivers to ridges. Eventually, uninterrupted trails are planned to connect all the way across Eugene, from Fern Ridge Reservoir in the west to Mt. Pisgah out east.