help Rebuild the Lost Valley Bridge

Honoring Legacy • Strengthening Community • Growing the Future

In January 2024, the Pacific Northwest was hit by an ice storm that has come to be called “Icepocalypse”. This extreme weather event resulted in the loss of our bridge that crosses Anthony Creek, when a mature douglas fir tree completely uprooted and destroyed the structure. 

The bridge had quietly supported the life of Lost Valley for over forty years, connecting us to the Creek Garden, our largest and most productive garden on campus. It’s where we grow much of the food that feeds our community, and where students and interns gain hands-on skills in permaculture and regenerative agriculture. That bridge also carried water from our well across Anthony Creek, provided access to the Native Foods Nursery, which supplies native plants to our campus and regional restoration projects, and linked us to stewardship zones that serve as outdoor classrooms for our educational programs.

The destruction of the bridge has been a huge loss, and we are determined to rebuild. But as a nonprofit community land trust that provides low-income housing and accessible environmental education, we lack the funds to take this on ourselves. So, we are seeking community support to construct a new bridge.

A bridge of legacy

The new bridge will be dedicated to honoring:

  • Founders Dianne Brause and Kenneth Mahaffey, whose vision and leadership brought Lost Valley into being.

  • Generations of community members who have stewarded the land and shared its teachings.

  • The Kalapuya Peoples and surrounding nations, whose relationship with this land stretches back countless generations.

Why This Bridge Matters

A new bridge would reconnect access to Lost Valley’s Creek Garden that supports community food security, as well as the Native Foods Nursery that supplies regional stewardship projects. As a nationally recognized hub for permaculture education, land stewardship, and cooperative living, Lost Valley regularly hosts courses, educational retreats, and gatherings that reconnect people to regenerative lifeways. This bridge would increase safe and reliable access to core facilities for educational programs and cultural events.

Funding Need

The bids we have received for this project estimate that the design and construction of a new bridge will cost $58,650. This includes environmental assessment and permitting, engineering and contracting for safety and accessibility, durable construction materials to withstand climate stresses, and intentional design elements that honor both the Land and her inhabitants.

We are seeking support from donors who recognize the power of infrastructure as a cultural legacy. Contributions at every level help move us toward this shared goal, but larger gifts ($5,000, $10,000, $25,000+) will be transformational in bringing the bridge to life.

Detailed Cost Breakdown

With volunteer support and ecologically harvested lumber from Lost Valley:

  • Geotech, environmental assessment & survey: $3,000

  • Engineering & drawings: $5,000

  • Permits & compliance: $8,000

  • Foundations & abutments : $8,000

  • Superstructure hardware & decking: $8,000

  • Railings & safety finish: $3,000

  • Labor & installation (volunteers + small paid crew ): $12,000

  • Mobilization & access : $2,000

  • Inspection & approval: $2,000

    Subtotal: $51,000
    Contingency (15%): $7,650
    Estimated total: $58,650

Join us in rebuilding!

Donation Tiers

Bridge Ally - $100 - $1000: Helps cover essential hardware like galvanized bolts, rebar, and connectors to secure the structure.

Bridge Builder - $1,001 - $2,500: Helps purchase decking boards, and funds safety features like railing sections and anti-slip surfacing for safe crossing.

Bridge Sustainer - $2,501- $5,000: Supports the cost of milling and preparing timber, as well as inspections, consultations, and testing that ensure the bridge meets safety standards.

Bridge Partner - $5,001 - 10,000: Helps fund the purchase of heavy timbers, glulam beams, and steel that form the superstructure. Supports engineering and foundational work for concrete footings or piles that anchor the bridge safely across the creek.

Bridge Champion - $10,001 - $20,000: Contributes to engineering, permits, and major foundation/abutment work.

Bridge Visionary - $20,001 - $50,000: Anchors the entire project by covering a large portion of the superstructure and foundation costs, contractor labor, heavy equipment mobilization, and site preparation, ensuring the bridge is built to last and certified for emergency egress.

Partner with us

We want to honor donors who fund large portions of the project, and would love to connect about ways that we can meaningfully recognize your partnership.

If you would like to become a partner with us on this project through helping to connect us with donors, offering technical expertise, or supporting our fundraising efforts in other ways, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us to start the conversation about partnership, legacy giving, or donor recognition opportunities.

Please contact Lost Valley’s Executive Director, Brian Byers, at executivedirector@lostvalley.org to get in touch.

Thank you!

Lost Valley Education Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community land trust, whose mission is to educate youth and adults in the practical application of sustainable living skills. We achieve this by offering hands-on education in ecological design, restoration forestry, equitable community governance, and regenerative farming, while we steward 87 acres of diverse ecosystems for oak savanna habitat restoration, increased biodiversity, and old growth forest characteristics.

Donations to Lost valley are tax deductible and can be made on a recurring basis.