Photo courtesy of Ron Cooper, Salem Photojournalist We are very pleased to announce that the Oregon Legislature has allocated $3 million in Lottery Bond funds to the McKenzie River Discovery…
NEWS
Legislators Picnic
On Saturday, August 28, the McKenzie River Discovery Center (MRDC) was host to elected dignitaries and community members to update them on the events of the previous year and our…
Community Fishing Pond Project @ MRDC
In March 2021, the McKenzie River Discovery Center was awarded $19,054 by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Restoration & Enhancement Board to repair and restore the historic hatchery rearing pond into a Community Fishing Pond.
Wildfire Recovery Information Days
Join us! Thursdays 10am - 4pm With generous support from United Way Lane County, The Ford Family Foundation and other anonymous donors the McKenzie River Discovery Center is proud to…
Winner of the Fly Fishing with Tight Lines Raffle
The evening of February 5th, 2021 the MRDC and board member Jeff Helfrich held a public Zoom meeting to draw the winner of the Fly Fishing with Tight Lines challenge.…
Wooden Boat Challenge – Winning Donation Announced!
We are happy to announce the winning donation amount of $1000 to the 'Wooden Boat Challenge' for this custom model of Veltie Pruitt's 1925 light board and batten drift boat.…
Welcome our new Executive Director!
After an extensive search, the Board is excited to welcome Wisteria Stuart to lead the McKenzie River Discovery Center in completing a world class, interactive edutainment resource and experience.
The Future
Building Environmental Education for Tomorrow.
The McKenzie River Discovery is envisioned to be the main public space accommodating a variety of immersive and interactive exhibits, educating the current and future generations of the significance of the river and its history. The development of the new center will provide exciting opportunities to bring and create a community of stewardship.
You Can Make a Difference
Moving Forward.
This year, MRDC formed a board of members that continues to build strategic partnerships and explore ways to fund the project. They were granted additional staffing and a fund of $235,000. to be paid over the next three years to hire a full time executive director to oversee the development of the center. With MRDC’s forward-thinking initiatives, a website and facebook page is in production, making headway to reach other potential fundraisers and visitors to support their cause.
In the Beginning
We sometimes take our environment for granted.
Behind every boulder in the mountains, the age of trees and the eras of life it endured, or the stream path of a river, is a rich story to be told. We often forget our interconnectedness with the land we walk on, and our dependence on natural resources. We need to recount the history of the land.