The Columbia Land Trust on Wednesday announced the acquisition of a 109-acre parcel just off the Columbia River, securing vital habitat to numerous wildlife species, the organization said.
The Vancouver-based nonprofit purchased Kerry Island from the Jenks family, which had owned it since 1946. The island sits along Westport Slough, an 11-mile channel on the Oregon side of the river. The property is about eight miles from Clatskanie, Ore.
The land had been run as a cattle and hay farm for decades, until Chester and Cleo Jenks retired in the early 2000s, according to the land trust. The trust now hopes to restore the property to perpetual habitat for salmon, steelhead and other endangered wildlife.
The trust completed the $320,000 purchase with ratepayer funds from the Bonneville Power Administration. The organization will develop a management plan for the property in the coming year with input from the public.
