Board Members and Officers
Sharon Blick – President
Kira Davis – Vice-president
Selena Blick – Secretary
Jim Blick – Treasurer
Olivia Goodheart
Common Camas in the pasture
Goals of our Non-Profit Organization:
- To protect and restore native plants and wildlife habitat on a 15 acre property west of Eugene
- To teach interns, volunteers, and visitors how to grow native plants and restore wildlife habitat
- To propagate native plants which have wildlife habitat value and give them away to restore habitat nearby
The Living Earth Nature Sanctuary is a 15 acre private property just west of Eugene, Oregon. For 17 years this land was farmed organically as the Living Earth Farm. The farm raised goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, and honeybees and grew fruits and vegetables. During that time, no pesticides were applied to the land and only 3 trees were cut down. The last of the livestock was sold in April 2023 and the farm business was closed on Dec 26, 2024. The Living Earth Nature Sanctuary was incorporated as a non-profit charity on Oct 2, 2024 and has now received tax exempt status from the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization.
The Living Earth Nature Sanctuary is located between the West Eugene Wetlands and the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, almost directly adjacent to the Seesil Oak Woodlands and not far from the Amazon Channel. This property has recently been mapped as a Priority Wildlife Connectivity Area by ODFW and as a Core Conservation Area in the Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative Strategic Action Plan.
The property already contains a lot of native habitat. There are about 5 acres of oak woodland in the center which includes large trees of white oak, black oak, and madrone, plus many large snags, a colony of acorn woodpeckers, and at least 7 other sensitive species. At the edges of the pastures there are more of these trees plus valley ponderosa, Doug fir, cottonwood, serviceberries, and bigleaf maple. There is a small year-round pond and some seasonal wetlands. Since 2007, the following number of species have been observed from this property: 136 species of birds, 16 species of mammals, 9 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 20 species of butterflies.
Our habitat improvement efforts so far have included planting 56 species of native trees, shrubs, and forbs and putting up 10 birdhouses. The plantings include 3 hedgerows, totaling 550 feet in length and containing a total of 104 native trees, shrubs, and forbs, plus 132 willow cuttings planted along another 176 feet of fence line that is marshy or rocky. One of the hedgerows (41 plants) was awarded free from the Xerces Society and the rest were purchased. Plantings also include a former vegetable area of 3330 square feet which now contains 264 row-feet of stinging nettle, 40 row-feet of Narrow-Leaf Milkweed, 200 row-feet of Showy Milkweed, and 70 row-feet containing 17 other native wildflower species. These plantings were put in between October 2023 and May 2024. These plantings are mulched, irrigated, protected from deer, and weeded by hand. With the exception of the willow cuttings, survival has been over 95%.
In areas formerly used as pasture, we are planning to plant trees and understory to create a larger oak woodland. In another former vegetable area, we will be planting pollinator habitat. We plan to continue removing invasive blackberries, ivy, scotch broom, and meadow knapweed and try to stop the spread of shiny geranium. The landowners plan to put a conservation easement on the land so the habitat will be protected in perpetuity when it is eventually engulfed by the city of Eugene (this property is now in the Urban Reserves). We also plan to invite neighboring properties to join our nature sanctuary.
About the Founders:
Sharon and Jim Blick are both retired and wanting to return to their roots of nature study and restoration. Both have relevant knowledge and experience to offer in this endeavor and will be volunteering their time. Jim has a PhD in zoology and has been watching birds since he was seven. He taught undergrads as a TA while he was in grad school. He also has an MS in statistics and spent the past 38 years doing data management and analysis for the EPA, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the University of Oregon. He is currently secretary and webmaster of the Lane County Butterfly Club. Sharon has a BS in entomology, an MS in biological ecology, and has taught high school biology and math. She founded Nearby Nature in 1992 and was the executive director and lead instructor for 3 years. She also taught nature classes for adults through LCC, Mt. Pisgah Arboretum, and other venues. Sharon started the Eugene Butterfly Count in 1991, co-founded the local NABA chapter in 2000, and currently serves as president. In 2003 she was hired as the executive director of the School Garden Project and ran that non-profit for 3 years. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Oregon Wild and Discovery Southeast. Both Jim and Sharon currently serve on the board of the Northwest Land Conservation Trust.