 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Meg Campbell and daughters hold photo of Homer Campbell during a trail naming ceremony. Homer Campbell's life was honored through the naming of a trail/boardwalk at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge.
HISTORY
The Greenbelt Land Trust was founded in 1989 to create a "greenbelt" around Corvallis providing residents easy access to nearby natural areas. Founders, prominently including Charles and Elsie Ross and Meg and Homer Campbell, were instrumental in generating community interest and support for the concept in Corvallis and Philomath. Between 1989 and 1998 the organization completed open space plans and identified land protection priorities while also acquiring open space, promoting and securing conservation easements, and constructing new trails for community use.
Click here to download a Word document outlining our first 10 year accomplishments.
Since 2000 Greenbelt has intensified land acquisition efforts, completing four very innovative projects. These projects required $3,314,000 in funding from a variety of state and federal sources and more than $1,000,000 in private donations, a substantial achievement for a young organization. In addition, Greenbelt’s work on behalf of the 2000 City of Corvallis Open Space Bond Measure helped to secure $7,900,000 in local funding for the city’s purchase of 450 acres of open space.
Click here to download a Word document outlining our accomplishments from 2000 to 2008.
Recently, Greenbelt has expanded stewardship activities and successfully competed for multiple grants from state and federal agencies to begin restoration of the Owens Farm and Lupine Meadows properties. Owned and managed by Greenbelt, the two parcels are being restored to their native habitats including wetlands, riparian areas, oak woodlands, savannahs and wet and upland prairies. Other habitat restoration efforts in partnership with landowners of conservation easement properties have also increased significantly.
Click here to download a Word document outlining our accomplishments from 2000 to 2008.
In 2007, education and outreach was expanded, especially to children, in order to engage the next generation of conservation advocates. This work is essential in disconnecting children from televisions and computers and connecting them to the natural world.
Nearing its 20th anniversary, Greenbelt’s Board of Directors adopted a new strategic plan in late 2007 that extends the organization’s conservation activities in the mid Willamette Valley to include Benton, Linn, Polk and Marion counties. Under this plan, conservation efforts will be directed at high priority habitats (oak woodlands, savannahs, wetlands, wet and upland prairies) throughout the region.
The next 10 years will be critical to protecting the remaining native habitats and open space lands of the mid Willamette Valley. We invite interested citizens to join us in this important work by supporting the Greenbelt and learning more about the protection and restoration of our region’s irreplaceable open spaces.