Zena Policies and Instructions

Please review the policies below before submitting a zena visit request.

Zena is open to students, staff, faculty, family and friends practicing COVID-19 protocols as required on all campus grounds.

Staff and faculty responsible for ongoing maintenance of the property and active projects at the property may visit Zena alone.

After obtaining university approval via the visit request form, students working with faculty and staff on projects at Zena may visit Zena alone to complete necessary work for those projects.

Anyone at Zena must practice social distancing. Social distancing includes maintaining distance from others (6 feet is recommended), refraining from gathering or meeting, and avoiding unnecessary contact with others.

Thank you for your cooperation. Please direct questions to zena-administrator@willamette.edu.

Getting To Zena

Zena is approximately ten miles northwest of campus and is open from sunrise to sunset.

Visits must be requested via the Zena Visit Request Form at least 48 hours in advance of your planned visit, and before Thursday for visits on Saturday or Sunday.

Requests are reviewed and approved by the Zena Administrator, but visits do not require Campus Safety trip passenger forms to be filled out.

Visits require a designated trip leader, which is limited to current faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students. Leaders are responsible for everyone in their group or event following policies on this page.

In addition to current students, faculty and staff, visits and events may include alumni, family and friends if requested in advance. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian unless enrolled as an undergraduate. Visits involving Willamette Academy students do not require parents or guardians to attend but must be approved by Willamette Academy leadership prior to submitting a request.

Visits involving only one student, or where students will be far away from others are discouraged for safety reasons. If approved, students may be required to carry a SPOT GPS unit also issued at the WU Service Center.

Once a request is approved, trip leaders must check out a main gate key at the Service Center in the University Service Building. The Service Center is open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Keys include directions to Zena, and a trail and road map.

Drivers transporting students to Zena should have completed the University's safe driver program.

Vehicles must be parked inside the main gate. For safety reasons parking is never allowed in front of the main gate or other locked gates, along Zena road, or on neighboring properties or roads.

To avoid unauthorized access by others, leaders must lock the gate once all expected participants have arrived and again when their visit or event has concluded, regardless if people with other visits or events are still on the property.

Leaders must return keys promptly after visiting Zena, and should not transfer keys to another person. Please call Campus Safety after hours and on weekends (503-370-6911) to determine if it is possible to return keys outside of Service Center open hours.

While at Zena

Recreational use of the property is welcomed and encouraged, but academic, co-curricular, and land management activities will be prioritized if/when (rare) conflicts arise.

Hiking at Zena is supported by a set of wayfinding signs at the entrance and at all trail and road intersections. Hiking off trails and roads is not recommended.

Cell phones should have reception at the main entrance and nearby, but service is not reliable across the entire 300-acre property.

Trip leaders can reserve a covered space approximately 200 feet from the main entrance that can be driven up to and comfortably accommodates 15 people. Drinking water is available at the covered space from early March through early November, but please bring your own water in case water is temporarily unavailable. A port-a-potty is also located nearby. Wifi is also available. Please refer to the University website for the current wifi password.

Driving vehicles on roads at Zena beyond the main entrance and the covered space is not allowed unless approved in advance.

Smoking and dogs are not allowed anywhere on the property.

Pack out all trash, recycling and materials related to your visit or event.

In Case of Emergencies

Call 911. You may also call Campus Safety (503-370-6911). An emergency phone is located approximately 100 feet south of the covered space on the outside of the adjacent structure.

Describe your location on the property by using the map attached to the gate key. Emergency responders will find the same map at the main entrance.

Willamette University

Willamette University Sustainability Institute

Phone
503-370-6482

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