Truax Island is a diverse 128-acre Greenway site situated within the Upper Willamette River Floodplain Conservation Opportunity Area. Because this land has a rich history of farming and gravel extraction, our goal is to balance historic land uses with modern conservation. Through a collaborative stakeholder process, we are transforming this “undeveloped” site into a high-functioning sanctuary for fish, wildlife, and public recreation.

The primary watershed issue being addressed during the restoration of 27 acres of floodplain forest is the ecological degradation to the floodplain after it was deforested, cleared for agricultural use and eventually left fallow.

Once agricultural operations ended, the site was quickly colonized by invasive weeds, including Armenian blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), English hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), and teasel (Dipsacus spp.).

These non-native, invasive plants degrade the quality of the floodplain for juvenile salmonids who seek these areas as refuge during floods and capitalize on the opportunity to forage on terrestrial insects. studies have concluded that native vegetation provides higher quality forage opportunities not just for salmonids but native birds and other wildlife.

The only legal public access to Truax Island is owned by OPRD and crosses over Dead River. A 5ft diameter corrugated metal pipe (CMP) culvert on the east side of the Dead River crossing used to provide conveyance for Dead River flows prior to the road overtopping.

Despite its beauty, Truax Island faces significant ecological hurdles that currently limit its potential:

• The “Fish Trap” Culvert: The primary access over Dead River relies on a failing 5-foot culvert. Now collapsed and undersized, it restricts fish access to 1.95 miles of vital off-channel rearing habitat and creates stagnant, warm water that favors non-native species.
  
• Ecological Degradation: Years of agricultural clearing left the floodplain vulnerable. Today, much of the eastern portion is dominated by a monoculture of invasive Armenian blackberry, English hawthorn, and teasel.
• The Gravel Pit Legacy: A 26-acre gravel site currently harbors warm water and invasive aquatic weeds. We are working with the Knife River Corporation to reclaim and enhance this area before it is eventually transferred to public ownership.

To restore this valuable floodplain habitat along the Willamette River, site preparation began in 2018. Work has consisted of manual and machine removal of blackberry thickets and other invasives with follow-up herbicide applications in the spring and fall.

In winter of 2020, the Calapooia Watershed Council and R. Franco Restoration installed 27,300 native trees and shrubs, and another 5,500 plants in the winter of 2021.

The gravel extraction permit, held by Knife River, is still open, but the company plans to complete the mining, perform reclamation and enhancement actions, in collaboration with the stakeholder team, and transfer ownership of the 26 acres. The pit holds water year round but is only connected to Dead River for a portion of the year via a very small shallow constructed channel which is dry during the summer months. The pond harbors warm water, non- native fish species, aquatic weeds and algae; an unfriendly environment for salmonids even when they can access the pit during high water.

Approximately 70% of Truax Island sits within the 2-year inundation zone. When the Willamette rises, the Dead River is the first area to fill, acting as a natural “pressure valve” for the river. By fixing the culvert, we ensure that this water—and the fish within it—can move freely between the floodplain and the river, restoring a cycle that has been broken for decades.

This failed infrastructure creates three major threats to the Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed fish: