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  • Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oregon — North America's largest remaining grassland of its type — is the Conservancy's largest-ever single Oregon purchase at nearly 27,000 acres, acquired in 2000. The preserve expanded six years later to 33,000 acres — 51 square miles.
  • In 2001, the Conservancy was selected to manage the Boardman Grasslands, a 23,000-acre native bunch grass prairie along the Columbia River. The site includes critical habitats for endangered Washington ground squirrels, above, and other sensitive species.
  • A new high-tech tool developed by Conservancy scientists in Oregon in 2003 promises to help stem the spread of invasive weeds across the U.S. and beyond.
  • The Conservancy, together with partners, rears native Olympia oysters in Netarts Bay on the Oregon coast, beginning with 5 million larvae spawned in 2005 and another 5 million spawned in 2006.
  • In one of the most ambitious wetland restoration projects in the West, in 2007, the Conservancy used around 100 tons of explosives to breach four levees — each a half-mile in length — to flood the Williamson River Delta Preserve and benefit water quality, wildlife and two endangered fish species.
A look back: the 2000s
Celebrating 50 years in Oregon