Yakona by Chad Crouch
When field recording of nature sounds really take a hold of you, you begin to look at maps differently. You want to put distance between your recording equipment and human-made noise. You look for canyons and contours, for off-the beaten-path wilderness, for peninsulas and deep woods.
Yakona, a 400 acre peninsula in Yaquina Bay near Newport is such a place. For a millennia it was one of several sites in the territory of the Yaqo’n tribe, hunter gatherers that flourished with their connection to the land and its abundant resources. However, with westward expansion and the introduction of new diseases and alcoholism, the Yaqo’n population declined by 80% in the late 1700’s. Their land was taken from them in 1865. Today, just one family remains who are known to trace their ancestry to the Yaqo'n people.
The peninsula once had two pioneer town homesites, based on the abundance of the natural resources of the bay. By the early 1900s the native Yaquina oysters were gone. The surrounding hillsides were almost entirely cleared of ancient Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce forests.
In 2008 Bill land Jo Anne Barton purchased 77 acres that crowned the peninsula and a vision for the land took hold. Acquiring other parcels over the years, they have assembled 340 acres as a conservation preserve. They have removed invasive specifies and planted native plants and shrubs. Six ancient Sitka spruce still stand on the peninsula, each over 10 feet in diameter. It is a vital habitat for the wildlife of Yaquina Bay, and a cornerstone of the greater ecosystem.
Tracklist
| 1. | Light Rain | 2:41 |
| 2. | Varied Thrush Tones | 2:55 |
| 3. | Gentle Creek | 2:10 |
| 4. | Wind Telephone | 2:06 |
| 5. | Yakona Suite, Part 1 | 2:01 |
| 6. | Yakona Suite, Part 2 | 3:32 |
| 7. | Yakona Suite, Part 3 | 5:42 |
| 8. | The Rain, The Land | 2:49 |
