Land Protection

Since our founding in 1989, the passionate and devoted leadership of Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah has advocated for acquisition of public land and habitat in the Mt. Pisgah area.

Past Acquistion Success

  • Facilitated purchase of a 44-acre floodplain parcel with one-half mile of river frontage near Buford Park (see map). Planted 8,000 riparian trees and shrubs at this site to restore habitat for fish, birds and wildlife.
  • Successfully advocated for the public purchase of 265 acres along Camas Swale with one-half mile of river frontage on the Coast Fork of the Willamette River. Wetland restoration is now underway to mitigate the Short Mountain landfill.

Advocates of the Confluence (Wildish) Acquisition

We have partnered with Lane County and The Nature Conservancy to secure an option to acquire 1,200-acres of Wildish land.  Acquiring this area will expand recreational open space for our growing community. The purchase also makes possible the  floodplain restoration that improves water qulaity and benefits fish and wildlife. Pudding Creek, pictured, flows through floodplain forests on the Wildish land. 

We are:
  • Educating federal, state and local agencies about this extraordinary opportunity,
  • Working to secure public and private funding commitments,
  • Fostering a multi-agency partnership to manage the land, and
  • Building capacity to help steward an expanded park.

Confluence Acquisition to Create "Central Park of the West"

Download the Mt. Pisgah/Confluence Restoration Map (seen above)

The Wildish acquisition would:

  • Fullfill the original vision for Buford Park by adding an adjacent 1,200 acres (which includes the northeast slope of Mt. Pisgah and 6 miles of river frontage,
  • Consolidate 4,500-acre public open space at the dramatic confluence of the Willamette’s Coast & Middle Forks,
  • Expand recreational opportunities for future generations (hiking, birding, horseback riding, fishing, canoeing, etc.),
  • Link Eugene and Springfield city’s riverfront bike paths to Mt. Pisgah,
  • Offer extraordinary opportunity to improve salmon, fish and wildlife habitat, and
  • Improve water quality through restored floodplains and detain flood waters.