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Past, Present & Future Caretakers

Land Acknowledgment

All education and restoration at Willow-Witt Ranch happens on indigenous land.

Willow-Witt Ranch valley and mountains beyond in glow of summer evening sunshine

Willow-Witt Ranch is located on Shasta, Upland Takelma, Latgawa and Athabaskan indigenous homelands. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were forcibly removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, Latgawa and Athabaskan peoples of this area. These indigenous communities are the past, present and future caretakers of this land.

Our foundational mission is to connect our community to the land around us. We want to acknowledge that this land was not given to us, but taken from others.

The Crest is an educational non-profit organization based at Willow-Witt Ranch. The Crest is a proud partner of the SOESD Indian Education Program. We are working closely to incorporate native youth into our education and volunteer programs, and to further align our mission with the history, legacy and vision of local indigenous communities.