PRINEVILLE, OR -- The Forest Service and nonprofit group Trust for Public Land are working together to protect 97 acres of riverfront access along the Crooked River. Officials say it will ensure trail and river access to the wild and scenic area, amid some of the fastest growing and diverse communities in Oregon. It’s also part of the nonprofit’s long-term effort to protect habitat and recreation in the state.

The protected property will be managed by the U-S Forest Service as part of the Crooked River National Grassland. “We are delighted to have this unique and special portion of the Crooked River Gorge in public ownership,” Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland Forest Supervisor Shane Jeffries said ina statement. “The acquisition of these acres through the Land and Water Conservation Fund will ensure that the public will gain access to the river and its beauty will be protected for generations.”

Funds used to acquire the property were secured through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a longstanding federal program that directs fees from oil and gas drilling to investments in parks and open space.