Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Spring chinook run likely late, lighter than 2015 ... Former owner of Little Caesars in Ashland acquitted in arson trial ... 18 iPads stolen from Kids Unlimited ... Spring chinook run likely late, lighter than 2015 ... Former owner of Little Caesars in Ashland acquitted in arson trial ... 18 iPads stolen from Kids Unlimited ... CONSERVATION Rogue River Preserve gets a boost Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board signed off on a $1.3 million grant for a proposed reserve along the Rogue Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Apr. 27, 2016 at 4:16 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Apr. 27, 2016 at 4:16 PM » Social News EAGLE POINT — Plans to buy and preserve a 352-acre ranch along the upper Rogue River leaped closer to reality this week when the group behind the purchase secured an Oregon Lottery grant covering more than half the purchase price. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board signed off Wednesday on a $1,385,255 grant requested by the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy to help buy the MacArthur Ranch and turn it into the Rogue River Preserve. The MacArthur family, descendants of former Mail Tribune publisher Robert Ruhl, have accepted a $2.4 million offer to sell the ranch, which was appraised at $3 million, to the conservancy if it raises the money by the end of December. The OWEB grant was the largest sought by the land conservancy toward the project and was considered the linchpin of its $3.5 million "Heart of the Rogue" capital campaign launched earlier this year. "It's the centerpiece to our puzzle, so it's great to see it come through," SOLC Executive Director Diane Garcia says. The $3.5 million target would cover the land's purchase and pay for some improvements, as well as create an endowment that would fund protection and enhancement of its myriad unique natural features in perpetuity. Former "Dallas" actor Patrick Duffy and his wife, Carlyn Duffy, who have lived across the Rogue from the MacArthur Ranch for 25 years, are the campaign's chairs. So far, the campaign has raised $1.617 million, and two federal grant requests totaling more than $1 million are still in the pipeline, Garcia says. For the remaining money, the group is targeting grants from foundations as well as corporate and personal gifts, she says. The ranch is along the Rogue's north bank immediately upstream of Jackson County's Dodge Bridge boat ramp just off Highway 234. Ruhl bought it in 1943 as a weekend getaway, and aside from two small structures the land has remained largely undisturbed for hundreds of years, according to SOLC. The property is a mosaic of the different types of habitat that once dominated the upper Rogue River Basin but largely have given way over time to cleared cattle pastures, ranchettes and dream homes. The lands near Upper River Road contain chaparral and buck brush that help draw black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk. Vernal pools dot the landscape in spring and become meadows later in the year sprinkled with natural springs, extremely rare white fairy poppy plants and surprisingly few invasive Himalayan blackberries. Much of the ranch is unblemished by non-native vegetation, but even some of the invasive plants that are present are losing ground naturally. The property's brightest gem is its mature oak woodlands that form the second-largest intact riparian forest along 100 miles of the Rogue. The only larger one is the publicly owned and primarily unreachable oak woodlands around the old Gold Ray Dam impoundment. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Apr. 27, 2016 at 4:16 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501