The South Fork McKenzie River in the Oregon Cascade Range is a historically important spawning ground for native salmon and currently the site of a large scale floodplain restoration project to restore their habitat and the river ecosystem. For the first time in over 50 years, hundreds of Chinook salmon are returning to spawn in the waters where their ancestors returned year after year. The area is also home to a variety of other species and wildlife, including Raina the Raven, who was rescued and rehabilitated by the forest service folks working on the project, and still frequents the area. I have been excited to get involved and learn about this project and Stage 0 restoration through the McKenzie River Watershed Council, and was inspired to create this wall hanging. Floodplains provide us with so many important ecosystem services, including the clean water we drink and places where we can go fishing and spend time recharging in nature. I’m happy to see this floodplain getting the attention and care it deserves, and looking forward to seeing the subsequent phases of the project unfold.
What a time to be alive.
You can read more about the Lower South Fork McKenzie River Floodplain Enhancement Project here: https://www.mckenziewc.org/?page_id=884
You can find the wall hanging in my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/756816675/south-fork-mckenzie-river
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