Rebuilding a floodplain 

FINN ROCK: Dozers, excavators, and dump trucks will be busy in the coming months after breaking ground on the second and final phase of floodplain restoration work at the Finn Rock Reach. Work on the 278-acre conservation area owned by the McKenzie River Trust was launched during the summer of 2021. It is focused on reshaping roughly 120 acres of floodplain forest to return the area to conditions similar to the aquatic habitat that existed along the McKenzie River before the construction of flood control projects like the Blue River and Cougar dams.

Project details focus on creating conditions that will simulate a large flooding event, that spreads sediments across the site and lowers the floodplain back to historic elevations.

While the work is under-way, passersby can expect to see large equipment moving dirt, rocks, and trees around the property. New channels will also be dug in combination with the addition of "engineered large wood structures" that are designed to slow and spread water across the site.

Besides promoting improved water quality, the large wood chunks are expected to provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife, including endangered salmon that use the area for both spawning sites and rearing juvenile fish.