Run for the Oaks

Left Coast is located in the Willamette Valley, OR on the ancestral lands of the Grand Ronde, Siletz, Yamhill and Kalapuya peoples. Run for the Oaks is a 10K/5K trail run and a 5K trail walk that meanders through old growth white oak forests, vineyards and farm roads. Look forward to celebrating your run with wine tasting and live music under the oaks! *Wood fired pizza and other snacks will also available for purchase after the run.

Left Coast founded this event to raise funds for restoration of over 100 acres of old growth oak forest. It is estimated that only about 3% of historic white oak habitat remains in the Willamette Valley and about 98% of this remaining habitat is located on private land. This means it is largely up to landowners to choose to conserve this important ecosystem. Since the Indigenous peoples who actively managed oak habitats for thousands of years were forcibly removed from their native lands, many of the remaining oak ecosystems have degraded. Restoration is expensive and requires sustained maintenance. Startup funding from NRCS and the US Fish and Wildlife Partners Program have been tremendously helpful in getting this restoration work started, and funding from Run for the Oaks is allowing this work to continue in perpetuity.

This year also marks the next pivotal phase of Run for the Oaks as we partner with Rising Hearts, “an Indigenous led grassroots organization committed to the heart work of elevating Indigenous voices and promoting and supporting intersectional collaborative efforts across all movements with the goals of racial, social, climate and economic justice.” If you are an Indigenous runner or walker and would like to join us at Run for the Oaks, please contact the race for registration details.