Oregon Is Buying a Waterfall

The state of Oregon may soon have some new public property: A spectacular waterfall, beloved by generations, that was recently put up for sale on Redfin, the AP reports. Abiqua Falls—known for its 92-foot vertical drop over a columnar basalt cliff—has been privately owned for over a century but open to the public. Its owner, a nonprofit that supports a community of Benedictine monks, put it on the market earlier this year. The listing worried fans of the natural wonder. But at the tail end of the legislative session this month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers stepped in and approved $2.1 million to buy the falls and its surrounding land.

"It's not every day where you see a waterfall come up for sale on Redfin or Realtor.com with no price," said Travis Williams, president of the Willamette River Preservation Trust, a conservation nonprofit. "The public was really confused and fearful that the site would be closed off." The waterfall was acquired by Mount Angel Abbey in 1908 and transferred to The Abbey Foundation of Oregon, a nonprofit that supports the abbey, in 2002, according to Amanda Staggenborg, the foundation's communications director. "We just realized that it was time," she said. "There were a lot of people that were hiking on the property, and while we welcome that, we wanted to ensure that the proper stewardship was overseeing it." The foundation put the property up for open auction in early February, meaning there was no minimum or maximum bid, she said. It accepted the offer the state made under the bill that passed.

The waterfall is about 30 miles east of the state capital, Salem, and roughly 50 miles south of Portland. It's reached by a rough, unpaved road and short, steep hike—so steep that previous visitors have left ropes in some spots for assistance. In a statement, Republican state Sen. Fred Girod, whose district includes the waterfall, said "Oregon is pledging that Abiqua Falls will continue to be protected and accessible for generations to come." The property won't necessarily become a state park, which would require additional money, according to an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson. It could be managed by a local or tribal government or another state agency.