A group of hikers with backpacks and hats standing and sitting on a hillside with sparse vegetation, trees in the background, and a sculpture of a feather on the left side, under a partly cloudy sky.

Welcome to

White Eagle Memorial Preserve, a Natural Burial Ground in Washington State

Get in Touch
Group of people participating in a ceremonial or memorial event in a forest, laying a decorated wrapped object into a grave or dug site surrounded by flowers.
A newly dug grave in a wooded outdoor area, decorated with pinecones, leaves, and natural ornaments.
A group of nine people and a dog standing together in a forest, behind a decorated mound with pinecones, leaves, and flowers, and an empty woven basket in front.
Four people in hats and casual clothing are standing and sitting on a hilltop overlooking a valley with hills and sparse vegetation under a blue sky.

ABOUT WHITE EAGLE

Based at Ekone Ranch, White Eagle Memorial Preserve is a natural burial ground in Washington State and part of Sacred Earth Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit land stewardship organization with a mission to actively love the upper Rock Creek watershed and share in transformative learning, stewardship, and growth with people at every stage of life. Read more about natural burial here.

  • “Saying goodbye, we made our way on the windy gravel road through the forest to process the remarkable, transformative experience at White Eagle. During her burial, our friend Jenny was teaching us the entire way; our openness to learning was evidenced in our collective spirit, labor, and fellowship.”

    - Alissa Perrucci

  • “Our deepest gratitude to you for holding space with us and witnessing our final steps of the journey we took in honoring our beautiful daughter. There truly are no words to help us fully express the extent to which we felt the support and loving presence of everyone who journeyed with us from the moment we chose White Eagle as her body's final resting place. The land is sacred and to rest our beloved child into the earth in this space and place was a gift beyond measure.”

    - Z.

  • “Thank you again for helping make my mom’s burial a beautiful and profound event for our family. You and your staff were so attentive and present and made it easy for us to focus on the moment. We left filled up with the peacefulness of that place.”

    - MG

  • “The transcendence of Ekone and White Eagle can not be put into words nor encapsulated by any mortal means.  It acquires meaning only from the depth of the heart, the soul, experienced in thousands of the many encounters with its lands, its precious and scarce waters and streams, its insects, birds, mammals, its wildflowers, the deep snows of winter, and its seemingly endless skies; and the many souls who work, play, connect, and find peace here.”

    - Don Hardin

Man in plaid shirt and cowboy hat riding a horse in a forest with tall trees
A scenic landscape with a bright sun in the sky, rolling hills, and dry vegetation, with trees visible on the right side.

The History of White Eagle Memorial Preserve

Ekone Ranch founder Ray Mitchell spent his life protecting, stewarding, and sharing this land with generations of people, and when he died in 2007, his community knew they needed to bury him here. The five founding stewards - Bob Jeffers, Chris Woodcock, Nancy Fisse Davis, Jade Sherer, and Daniel Dancer - started a cemetery to do so. White Eagle Memorial Preserve began in 2008, named after Ray’s business White Eagle Vision Expeditions, leading group horse pack trips through the wilderness. We offer thanks to all the people who helped bring this labor of love into being, in honor of Ray’s giant spirit.

Get in touch
A group of people walking on a dirt trail in a forested area, some wearing hats, with one person at the front pushing a wooden cart.

About the Land & Environment

White Eagle’s burial ground spans 20 acres adjacent to Rock Creek Canyon, set within a larger protected wilderness of 1300 acres of oak and ponderosa forest, meadow, and steppe near the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. 

This land is habitat for deer, coyote, cougar, eagles, wild turkeys, steelhead in the canyon creek, western grey squirrels, rattlesnakes, and the occasional bear or lynx . Our mission is to steward and protect this ecosystem, and to provide families with meaningful conservation burial opportunities.

White Eagle Memorial Preserve became certified as a Conservation Burial Ground through the Green Burial Council, and we are one of the founding members of the Conservation Burial Alliance, dedicated to conservation stewardship and education.

Plan Your visit

About Natural Burials at White Eagle Memorial Preserve

Natural burial, also known as green burial is a human scaled process of laying a loved one to rest in the earth, using biodegradable materials, hands, and hearts.

human scale

Natural burial is a human scaled, interactive process of laying a loved one to rest in the earth, in a beautiful and meaningful way.

BY HAND

We prepare the grave place, lower the body, and close the grave by hand & often the shrouds & caskets are handmade as well.

CARE AND RESPECT

We practice care and respect for all the human beings involved in this process, as well as the complex ecosystem of land and trees and plants that we care for here.

Learn more about Natural Burials

Meet our crew

White Eagle Memorial Preserve Stewards

Click on the image or name for more about our stewards.

Woman in casual clothing and a cap kicking her leg up while standing next to a horse-drawn carriage with two wheels, with two men in the background and old cars and trees in the background.

Jenna Milton +

Finance Manager

A woman sitting outdoors at a rustic table set for a meal, with green cups, plates, and a vase with flowers, surrounded by trees and nature.

Chris Woodcock +

Steward Emeritus

Jodie Buller +

Cemetery Director

Bob Jeffers +

Steward Emeritus

Woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and white shirt outdoors among trees, sunlight in the background.

Agnes Dussault +

Cemetery Assistant

A man with a beard wearing a cap, sweater, and overalls, smiling and holding a gray and white cat outdoors under a wooden shelter with trees and fields in the background.

Travis Stepon +

Cemetery Assistant

MORE ABOUT NATURAL BURIALS at white eagle

Support Us

Your support of our conservation burial ground & beyond supports the organization for the long term, in a number of ways

JOIN OUR LEGACY CIRCLE

Join our Legacy Circle, and include Sacred Earth Foundation in your estate planning and support us in the long future - your bequest will support the land conservation and stewardship work for years to come.

Find out more

WORKPARTIES

Come to a workparty and help prepare future grave places, or help us tend the Ekone garden and forest. Enjoy the camaraderie of meaningful labor with friends, along with time for eating, singing and games.

More about workparties

DONATE

Donate to our Community Supported Burial Fund, to help make burials here accessible for everyone, or support our Conservation Fund, which helps us continue to acquire and care for key parcels of land in the Rock Creek watershed.

Find out more

Finding White Eagle Memorial Preserve

White Eagle Memorial Preserve is based at Ekone Ranch, 2.5 hours from Portland and about 4 hours from Seattle in Washington State. It takes just under 30 minutes to reach us from Goldendale, WA, the nearest town.

We encourage and welcome visitors and tours; however, the Ranch & Cemetery are busy places, and we are unable to accommodate drop-in visitors.

Please schedule ahead of time and let us know your planned arrival timing, then text us (206-383-3285) as you are coming through Goldendale to let us know your actual arrival timing, so we can be in the right place to greet you!

Google maps often leads you down a goat trail - so please see step by step directions here.

Step by step directions