The Rogue River Preserve is part of the ancestral lands of the Takelma and Latgawa peoples, who have lived in and cared for land in this region since time immemorial.
Welcome to the Rogue River Preserve!
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Located along the banks of the Rogue River in Jackson County, Oregon, the Rogue River Preserve is an ecological gem. Its 352 acres include several distinct habitats that support remarkable biodiversity, including at least 32 rare, declining, and uncommon plant and animal species.
In 2017, with significant help from the community, SOLC purchased the Preserve for the dual purposes of conservation and education, ensuring the land’s permanent protection and offering learning experiences that inspire stewardship for generations to come.
Visiting the Preserve
Click on the map to enlarge
The Preserve is not open to the public on a daily basis, but we offer a variety of opportunities to visit throughout the year:
Roll up your sleeves and help us with stewardship tasks during one of our volunteer work parties or become a volunteer site steward. Learn more on our Volunteer page
Pack a picnic, a field guide book, or both for a day of exploring the property during one of our Open Lands Days. Learn more on our Events page
Tour the Preserve on a guided hike led by naturalists or attend a special event such as a community science reptile bioblitz exploration or family day
Share the magic of the Preserve with others by volunteering as a docent for public and school field trip programs. Learn more on our Volunteer page
Join our eNews list below to receive information about Open Lands Days, guided hikes, volunteer work parties, and more. Use and follow #RogueRiverPreserve on Facebook and Instagram to see updates on what’s happening, what’s blooming, or who’s visiting the Preserve. Be sure to Like and Follow us first in order to view the posts!
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The Preserve also serves as a living classroom for our education programs, including:
Digital and in-person field trips for grades K-12
Research and stewardship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students
Guided hikes and tours for adults and families
Visit our Education page to learn more about these offerings.
Conservation Values
Rogue River Preserve Elk Island.
The Rogue River Preserve’s remarkable conservation values inspired the community effort to protect the property. These conservation values include:
Wildflower hike.
Two miles of riverfront along the Rogue River with habitat for spawning and juvenile coho and Chinook salmon
The second largest gallery floodplain forest (140 acres) upstream of Galice with towering black cottonwoods and pines, home for many animals like chorus frog, breeding Bald Eagles and Great-horned Owl, and black bear
Quiet waters on a backwater slough providing a haven for western pond turtle, Green Heron, Wood Duck, and mink
A mosaic of valley-floor oak woodland, meadow, and chaparral supplying food and shelter for common kingsnake, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Purple Martin, Western Bluebird, black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk, and under shrubs, the rare white fairypoppy flower
The northern edge of a rare landscape called the Agate Desert with vernal pools and mounded prairie supporting a unique community of special plants, including the federally endangered large-flowered woolly meadowfoam
A beautiful remnant of the formerly wild Rogue Valley floor that supports pollinators and contributes community services like flood control and carbon storage
Rogue River Preserve interactive Google Earth map
For an overview of the Preserve’s conservation values, check out these interactive resources:
See all the details of the diversity of life at the Preserve with these resources:
SOLC’s Acquisition: A Community Effort
Thanks to contributions large and small from local, state, and federal funders, our “Heart of the Rogue™” capital campaign raised over $3.5 million, allowing SOLC to purchase the Preserve and establish an endowment fund to support the long-term care of the property.
Major donors included the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Doris Duke Foundation.
Between foundations, agencies, and individuals, numerous donors believed in the value and importance of protecting this remarkable property and putting it in SOLC’s care.
Human History at the Preserve
The land that we call the Rogue River Preserve is part of the ancestral territories of the Latgawa and Takelma peoples, who lived in this region for thousands and thousands of years before EuroAmerican settlers arrived. The Latgawa and Takelma tribes were active stewards of the landscape, using a wide range of tools and techniques, such as controlled burns and cultivation of plants, to ensure sustainable resource availability. But in the mid-1800s, EuroAmerican settlers and the U.S. Government forcibly removed indigenous people from their homelands, killing many and sending others to reservations throughout Oregon, disrupting the longstanding and dynamic relationship between humans and the landscape. Descendants of the Takelma and Latgawa peoples still live in this area and care for the land throughout the region.
In the early 1900s, the Welch family from San Francisco purchased the Rogue River Preserve, and in the 1920s they built a riverfront cabin which still stands today. In 1943, Robert Ruhl, longtime editor and publisher of the Medford Mail Tribune, acquired the property. He and his descendants used the land as a weekend retreat from their home in Medford, but they left the natural areas largely untouched. The Ruhl grandchildren and great-grandchildren wanted to pass along their family’s vision of conservation, and were pleased to work with SOLC to ensure that the land will be conserved for generations to come.
Banner photo: Rogue River and Elk Island by Mike Potts
