Description
Tom McCall Currently Closed Due To COVID-19
Following Governor Brown's "Stay Home, Save Lives" Executive Order and wanting to help limit the spread of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to close our preserves from 03/23/2020 until further notice. While getting outside for a walk, run or hike in an uncrowded area can help keep us both physically and mentally healthy during this trying time if social distancing guidelines are followed, it can be nearly impossible to stay the recommended six feet away from others on narrow trails. Due to large crowds in close proximity in parks and on trails, we are acting consistently with Oregon State Parks and closing our preserves to the public for the time being.
Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or visit us at nature.org/oregon for ways to engage with nature and stay connected with us from home.
What Makes Tom McCall Preserve Special
The Tom McCall Preserve is open from March 1 to October 31 due to the high risk of erosion and ground disturbance in the wetter months.
Located in the transition zone between the moist, heavily-forested west side of the Cascades and the drier bunch grass prairies of the east, Tom McCall Preserve comes into spectacular bloom every spring.
Lava flows, catastrophic floods and volcanic ash deposits shaped a mound-and-swale topography that perplexes the experts. Earthquake sorting, freezing and thawing, erosion, soil accumulations by plants and wildlife burrowing activities have all been suggested as having caused the mounds.
What TNC Has Done/Is Doing
The preserve is named for Oregon's late governor, Thomas Lawson McCall, whose commitment to conservation in Oregon remains an inspiration. A patchwork of ownership includes the Conservancy, Mayer State Park and national forest lands. The preserve is managed in cooperation with these agencies.
The rare plant populations are monitored by ecologists, and in spring and summer, volunteer docents lead interpretive hikes. Stewards and volunteers manage the weeds and maintain the trails throughout the year.
With assistance from the Portland Garden Club, Berry Botanic Garden, Native Plant Society of Oregon and others, the Conservancy also created a native plant garden in the turnaround at the viewpoint.