In June 2022, the Arch Cape Domestic Water Supply District took a major step forward in connecting the community to its drinking-water source by purchasing approximately 1,500 acres of surrounding forestland. The acquisition lays the foundation for creating the Arch Cape Community Forest.
This project will permanently protect the source of Arch Cape’s drinking water, from headwaters to tap. A healthy forest with diverse streamside vegetation is vital to holding soil in place, preventing erosion, and improving downstream water quality.
However, the Arch Cape Forest is also part of a larger story of connectivity unfolding on the northern Oregon Coast. The forestland—which was acquired from Ecotrust Forests II LLC on June 9—is adjacent to North Coast Land Conservancy’s 3,500-acre Rainforest Reserve, along with Oswald West State Park and the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. Collectively, they create a roughly 32-square-mile conservation corridor that stretches from the summits of 3,000-foot peaks within the Oregon Coast Range to Short Sand Beach and the sandy seabed and rocky reefs of the nearshore ocean. This type of protected land-to-sea corridor is unmatched in the state of Oregon. MORE