In 1999, the Buchanan family at Tyee Wine Cellars committed 246 acres of our family farm into a Wetland Reserve Program. This is a 30-year protective easement for wetland habitat in cooperation with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Wetland habitat in the Willamette Valley is pretty rare, and we are trying to protect that rarity. Our farm, located at the confluence of Beaver and Muddy creeks contains natural woods and wetlands, and is less than two miles from Finley National Wildlife Refuge. It has always been a haven for native plants and wildlife. Recently, a couple of seasoned birdwatchers and I took a short walk around Tyee's Beaver Pond Loop Trail and excitedly counted over 100 separate species of birds. Further protection of the farm's natural wetlands should only increase this biodiversity. Some of our cropland is too darn wet to successfully produce reliable crops. If the weather predictors are even 50% correct, we should experience some wet Oregon showers in the coming years. We will continue to plant and grow wine grapes, hazelnuts and ryegrass seed on the remaining higher parts of the farm.

Our commitment to wetland protection is an extension of three prior generations of Buchanan efforts. My ancestors have protected century-old savannah oaks, most of the riparian woods around Muddy creek and several ash swales. Yet in the 1950's, grown men representing the U.S. Soil Conservation Service artificially straightened Beaver creek with big scoop shovels. They thought it would reduce flooding. Thank goodness my father in a moment of vision surveyed the damage and the mess, and threw them off the farm before they blundered into the next creek!

Our new plan; in cooperation with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will be a combination of protective and restorative measures. We will convert three fields of ryegrass seed into native wetland prairies. We will plug some of the drainage ditches to provide vernal pools and ponds that will hold water until June or July. We will return sections of Beaver Creek to a natural winding stream. We will plant native trees and brush so that over three miles of protective streamside riparian vegetation will span between 50 and 300 feet. It should be exhilarating! I plan to keep you posted of our progress.