Deal to safeguard stretch of creekside A conservation agreement will protect land along Coppei Creek from development.
Feb. 6, 2009
WAITSBURG -- A stretch of Coppei Creek here is due to be buffed up thanks to a local couple.
Working with the Blue Mountain Land Trust, residents David and Julie Karl have dedicated about 16 acres on the stream's north side for protection through a conservation agreement. The voluntary contract will help preserve the land from development while keeping ownership in the Karl family.
Plans call for work to start this fall to rip out invasive plants, such as blackberry bushes, and put in native vegetation and trees. The replanting will be done under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, David Karl said.
"It's a great mix for a conservation agreement because this land is sub-irrigated by the creek," he said. "Plus we feel really strongly that the CREP will do very well out there."
The land being protected by the agreement is on the border of property the Karls now contract to have farmed for alfalfa.
Although the agreement reduces the amount of ground being cultivated, the Karls said the overall benefit is worth it.
"It seems like a loss, but it's really a long-term gain," Julie Karl said. The streamside buffer zone will have an average width of about 75 feet. The trees and plants will help anchor the stream banks and protect against erosion, filter runoff into the creek and cool the water during the summer.
The conservation work will have another important benefit, David Karl said, and that is helping to protect the population of wild steelhead that have made a home in Coppei Creek.
"This basically gives the stream an opportunity to live," he said. "It gives the stream a chance to establish itself."
Andy Porter can be reached at andyporter@wwub.com or 525-3300, ext. 282.