To Save A Waterfall

Will one of Oregon's iconic waterfalls become all limits to the public?

I was in Mexico when I learned that the foundation that is part of the Benedictine Abbey in Mt. Angel, Oregon had put a 40 acre parcel of wooded canyon land in the northern Cascade foothills for sale. The Abbey has a lot of land up in those steep hills, all of it managed for timber except this particular parcel - a section of land that holds Abiqua Falls.

Until the dawn of social media very few people knew about the falls. I was one of those few, and my experience with the place and its surrounding land effected my life in some significant ways including my being invited to talk with the “Lifers” club at the Oregon State Penitentiary about the land and its falls — a place that if their sentences panned out, they would never have the opportunity to see. That talk in turn opened up a world to me that led my life toward many unanticipated directions.

How are the two related? I’ll be writing about that for The Oregonian soon, but will share now what I have learned about what some state lawmakers are doing to try to put the land and its falls into public hands.

On Wednesday, I visited with State Senator Fred Girod, a Republican representing my district which includes the parcel containing Abiqua Creek and its now famous falls. It has been a long time since I’ve interviewed anyone at the Capitol, but I guess being a journalist is like riding a bike, because as soon as I entered the Senator Girod’s office my mind clicked into gear. Pad open, pen out, questions rolling.

The Senator was ashamed to say he’d never seen the falls in person. That’s understandable, I told him. The place is not easy to find and quite difficult to hike down to. Even still, he’s seen the pictures and heard the stories and felt strongly that a place like that needed to belong to the people of Oregon, “Not some dot com billionaire that will lock it up for his own private retreat. I won’t stand for that,” he said. And as a co-chair of the Capitol Construction Sub-Committee of the budget writing Ways and Means committee, Senator Girod, who is known for his bi-partisan approach on many issues, has both the ways and the means to try to make sure the land goes to all Oregonians, not just a special few.

The Capitol Construction Committee is in charge of bonds — recommending what projects get state backing and what do not. And he and his co-chair on the committee — Lake Oswego Democrat, Senate President Rob Wagner as well as the Houses Majority Leader, Democrat Ben Bowman have forged an alliance on the falls, and are determined that after the dust settles on the Abbey’s sale, it will be owned by the people of Oregon.

But like anything political, there are hurdles to be overcome. One is the timeline. Lawmakers are in the third week of their “short session” meaning they have until March 8th to get their work done. Another is to find the right state agency to manage the land. State Parks seems like a natural fit, but State Parks is expected to run a deficit this year. Taking on a site that will need structural improvements — signs, roads, adequate parking, toilets and the people to take care of all that — may be too much of an ask right now. The Department of Forestry is another option, but the agency has been in the logging business so long folks might not be convinced that one day they find site turned into nothing but stumps. And of course there is the third hurdle: convincing people that buying a waterfall would be worth their tax dollars.

What the hit to the budget would be is still uncertain. Senator Gerard hopes to get a firm number sometime next week, but so far the Mt Angel Foundation which holds the property has not been forthcoming. It appears there may be a bidding war. On the other hand, the Foundation and the Abbey have said they would like to see the land and its falls be “conserved.”

I guess then the questions are, for who and for what purpose? Lawmakers at the Capitol say for the people, and for the purpose of being able see and feel the awe it inspires.

For now, here is a film of hike to the falls on Thursday afternoon, 2/12/26.