​The future of forestry education is looking very exciting for Philomath students thanks to the 20-acre gift of forest land donated by Emery Castle and his daughter, Cheryl Rogers, in September 2016. Located along Kings Valley Highway, the Castle Family Forest will serve as a very special outdoor classroom and lab for Philomath students. The Castle family stipulated  the  land is for the use of  Philomath High School. The Foundation has signed an agreement with the Philomath School District. 

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The Castle Family Forest gift to the Foundation is a wonderful example of how a philanthropic gift was guided by a shared vision of the future. Individuals, organizations and the  Philomath Community Foundation co-operated in establishing a legacy gift  that will benefit many people in our community for a very long time, well into the future.

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Van Decker, a long-time forester, played a key role in helping make this gift a reality. The excitement around this gift has led to other financial gifts. The Foundation and the School District are taking steps to prepare the site for classroom activities.

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