MNN - Mother Nature Network

Considered a valuable conservation area, Oregon’s Blind Slough wetlands is home to 400-year-old Sitka spruce, bald eagles and other wildlife. Earlier this month, Georgia-Pacific donated more than 680 acres of the Blind Slough wetlands near its Wauna, Ore., consumer products mill to The Nature Conservancy for preservation.

 

“We’re very thankful to Georgia-Pacific for this latest example of its support for the conservation of rare and important habitats,” said Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director of the Nature Conservancy. “Although they will no longer own land at Blind Slough, we know this is a place that Wauna Mill employees care about, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that this special place stays healthy and protected for future generations.”

 

In 2005, the Wauna mill donated $15,000 to The Nature Conservancy to assist with invasive species monitoring and removal at the preserve. Georgia-Pacific has worked with the Conservancy on a number of other projects across the country.

 

“We’ve had a long relationship with The Nature Conservancy,” said Kristi Ward, manager of Wauna public affairs. “We’ve been impressed with how The Nature Conservancy has been actively managing the property and it makes sense for Georgia-Pacific to donate the property outright to them.”

 

The non-profit Nature Conservancy manages nearly 1 million acres of environmentally sensitive land nationwide, the largest in the country. In Oregon, the Conservancy owns or manages 47 nature preserves and has helped protect more than 500,000 acres of important habitats.