Bridge Financing for a Land Trust

785 acres conserved
10,560 linear feet of riparian feet protected
Business in high-poverty area
$30,000 other project funds leveraged

When 785 acres at the Coyote Bucket became available, KLLT naturally set out to acquire it. Craft3 provided a loan through our Conservation Bridge Fund, which provides loans to acquire sensitive lands, restore habitat and protect water quality.

Since 2010, Klamath Lake Land Trust (KLLT) has been an advocate for South Central Oregon’s forest, wetlands, deserts and watersheds. It’s efforts include restoration, land acquisition, conservation easements, ecologically informed land management and public education.

At founding, KLLT identified four conservation corridors as part of its original conservation strategies — the Sycan River was included among these corridors. That’s why it purchased an 80-acre parcel on the Sycan River canyon a mile south of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in 2011.

When an additional 785 acres at the Coyote Bucket became available, KLLT naturally set out to acquire it. As is often the case for conservation organizations, there is a lag between the need to purchase and availability of funds.

This time was no different. KLLT will apply for a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) in October, but needed funding to purchase the property now. Craft3 provided a Conservation Loan through our Conservation Bridge Fund, which provides loans to acquire sensitive lands, restore habitat and protect water quality. The loan program is possible with capital from Meyer Memorial Trust.

Today, more than 850 acres of critical wildlife has been protected. Here, you’ll find falcons nest on the canyon walls and native trout inhabit the river — all surrounded by old-growth Ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine flats intermingled with water-related riparian vegetation.