Earlier this year, a local conservation group called the got over $2 million from the national nonprofit to purchase Pipe Fork. Their goal is to keep the parcel from being clear cut because they're concerned about decreased water quality and destruction of wildlife habitat, among other issues.
Josephine County commissioners initially agreed to the sale, but backed out this summer. Instead, the land was listed in a .
Cheryl Bruner, the secretary for the Forest Project, said she鈥檚 excited Pipe Fork didn鈥檛 sell on Thursday.
"I鈥檓 ecstatic. I'm really excited," she said."I have to talk to the commissioners to find [out] what steps would go forward, but the Conservation Fund is still waiting in the wings to purchase that property."
County commissioners will meet to decide what will happen next to Pipe Fork as well as the other parcels that didn鈥檛 receive any bids. That meeting will likely occur on Tuesday afternoon.
"Now that we know that Pipe Fork plus other properties did not sell, we'll look at what the avenues are, and that doesn't mean we'll continue to put them up for sale," County Commissioner John West said. "Doesn't mean we won't. We'll just look at what is the avenues and what is the best for the taxpayers."
West said it's not unusual for the county's land auctions to receive no bids, as some parcels did on Thursday.
"I don't know if it's economy related, or if it's the timber industry, the housing market's down, or are they waiting for the new presidency change. I don't know what it is. I think it's probably a combination of some of those factors," he said.
Bruner said the Forest Project did not bid on Pipe Fork during the auction for two reasons: it was bundled with another 280-acre parcel and cost almost $4 million, and the second parcel had not been appraised so The Conservation Fund couldn't bid on it.
According to reporting by , many residents attended a Josephine County Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday to speak against the auction.
The area around the upper reaches of Pipe Fork Creek is protected by the federal Bureau of Land Management as a research natural area.
According to Bruner, Williams residents are concerned about water quality, especially given that it's an agricultural area.
"The thought about having these properties sold to timber owners and then potentially clear cut, which is the usual, was devastating to our economic wellbeing, essentially, and also to our health. But it was pretty scary," she said.
She hopes that the few parcels that were sold on Thursday will be sustainably managed by their new owners.
"Great Job to everyone that advocated, spoke out, dedicated personal time and skillsets, and collaborated with us to protect our watersheds, forests, wildlife, and our wild backyards in the Williams Valley. Our work continues to protect and steward our watersheds and forests. Keep an eye out for next steps," the Forest Project wrote on its Facebook page on Thursday.
