Assessing Flat Fire Damage At Whychus Creek Preserves

With the Flat Fire raging across more than 23,000 acres, assessment continues on the damage done. The fire burned several Deschutes Land Trust Preserves including Aspen Hollow Preserve, Rimrock Ranch and Whychus Canyon Preserve. Land Trust Engagement Director, Sarah Mowry, wrote in a web post that flames burned a small portion on the southern side of Aspen Hollow. The fire then turned south, missing the main part of the Preserve. Aspen Hollow is 58 acres northeast of Sisters featuring cliffs, pine and aspen groves.

North of that area, Mowry says the Flat Fire also swept through Whychus Canyon Preserve, with 930 acres of desert and canyons including 7 miles of hiking trails. Mowry says the unrestored portion of Whychus Creek in the canyon burned hot. It’s unclear what damage was done at the northern portion which was restored in 2016. She described trailhead impacts as moderate with the trailhead kiosk untouched.

Deschutes Land Trust Executive Director Rika Ayotte told the Source, “It is certainly hard to see a place you have loved and worked to protect for decades on fire, but we also know that fire is a natural part of the forests and meadows of Whychus Creek. We are fortunate to not have our homes at risk and many of the structures on site are safe as of now. That said, early reports indicate that some of our restoration areas (both stream and forest) are looking good! That was one of our key goals with our restoration projects: to help our natural areas be more resilient to things like fire, floods and climate change.”

Portions of Rimrock Ranch were significantly burned. *Courtesy Deschutes Land Trust*

North of Whychus Creek Preserve, Rimrock Ranch, a 1,123-acre wildlife preserve with rimrock canyons along a nearly 2-mile stretch of Whychus Creek, was damaged more significantly. However, several structures were saved and the recently restored Whychus Creek floodplain remains green and intact. The Ranch is habitat for a variety of wildlife including salmon and steelhead, mule deer, elk, bobcat, beaver, eagles and numerous other birds. The area also has historic, cultural significance. According to the Deschutes Land Trust, Rimrock Ranch was part of the land ceded to the U.S. in a treaty with the Tribes of Middle Oregon in 1855, which included the Wasq’u and Warm Springs Tribes. The land has passed through numerous owners. In 2020, the Deschutes Land Trust purchased the property to permanently protect it.

Six miles of Whychus Creek passes through the Preserve and Rimrock Ranch. In the mid-1900’s, portions of the creek were straightened and bermed which diminished the habitat. Restoration on the stream through Rimrock Ranch finished in 2023. To reconnect Whychus Creek to its historic floodplain, crews moved 70,000 cubic yards of rock and soil to raise portions of the creek bed. Deschutes Land Trust says more than 59 acres of the valley floor was made accessible to water flows to improve habitat for fish and wildlife. The number of pools in the creek channel increased from 35 to 119. More than 6,000 trees were placed across the valley floor to slow water and reduce erosion. An additional 96,500 plants were also added to the restoration area.

The Land Trust says the Preserves are significant. Along the 41 miles of Whychus Creek, which runs from the Three Sisters Wilderness to the Deschutes River, only six miles provides critical meadow habitat. That includes Whychus Canyon Preserve, Rimrock Ranch and Camp Polk Meadow Preserve.

The trailhead kiosk at Whychus Canyon Preserve survived the fire. *Courtesy Deschutes Land Trust*

Camp Polk Meadow was not burned but was closed during the evacuation orders. Whychus Canyon Preserve will be closed longer until staff from Deschutes Land Trust can go in to assess hazards and restoration needs. In July, another protected area owned by Deschutes Land Trust, the 5,000-acre Priday Ranch north of Madras, was burned during the Cram Fire. Ayotte is optimistic that 30 years of restoration projects in the Whychus Creek area has helped build the resilience needed to recover.

“We will be carefully observing how restored areas can recover naturally and how we can accelerate restoration in other burned areas,” Ayotte says. “Disturbances from fire suppression efforts (hand and bulldozer lines etc) will be important places to make early investments in managing weeds and reestablishing native plant communities. We are working closely with our agency and Tribal partners to inform our post-fire recovery and restoration planning.”

She is also asking for hikers to respect the closures as long as they’re in place.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says the Flat Fire has destroyed five homes in the county. Three are primary residences and two are secondary residences. The Northwest Coordination Center says the Flat Fire has threatened 2,319 homes.

This article appears in the Source September 4, 2025.