The Willamette Valley:

A Unique and Special Place

 

The Willamette Valley is home to gorgeous oak savanna-prairies, and some trees, wildflowers, butterflies, and other species found nowhere else on the planet. The Valley landscape we know was formed 15,000 years ago by glacial floods at the end of the last ice age.

 

For thousands of years, indigenous Kalapuya people used fire and harvesting practices to promote the

plants they harvested and depended on, such as

camas, tarweed, acorns, and wapato. The prairies

were a rich tapestry of tall, lush grasses and

colorful wildflowers, alive with insects, birds,

and other wildlife.

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An Endangered Landscape and Ecosystem

 

Since 1850, urban development and agriculture

have dramatically changed Valley landscapes. Native prairies are now a severely endangered habitat in Western Oregon. Many species and populations of

plants are disappearing, as are the birds, bees, butterflies and other animals that have evolved to depend on them.

 

Scientists are concerned about the loss of species and diversity, and especially the loss of pollinators and the health of soils, watersheds and food-webs. Mass extinctions of species threaten the resilience of entire ecosystems, including our modern food and water systems and health.