Improving the lot of wildlife throughout Oregon

There’s a new a blueprint to protect more than 800 wildlife species in Oregon and a strategy to prevent any species from becoming threatened or endangered. Now, Sisters area residents can help make it succeed.

The Oregon Conservation Strategy is a comprehensive report on the future of Oregon’s wildlife and its habitat, the result of 18 months of discussions and review by hundreds of stakeholders. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved the draft strategy prepared by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

The strategy identifies six threats to Oregon’s wildlife: land use changes, invasive species of plants and animals, changes in historic plant regimes, barriers to fish and wildlife movement, water quality and quantity, and institutional barriers to voluntary conservation efforts.

“Once a species is listed as threatened or endangered, the cost of removing it from that list is enormous,” said Martin Nugent, ODFW’s wildlife diversity program manager. “Sometimes it becomes impossible.”

The strategy breaks the state into eight ecoregions.

“One of the eight areas is the East Cascades ecoregion extending from the summit of the Cascade Mountains east to the high desert area and from Hood River south to Klamath Falls and includes lands west of Sisters,” Nugent explained. “East of Sisters and reaching into northeast Oregon is the Blue Mountains ecoregion. Each ecoregion is described in separate 18-page sections of the report and presented with color maps. Each section offers data on current land use, ownership, population, economics, ecology, specific opportunity areas and specific conservation measures needed.”

In the East Cascades ecoregion, 20 “opportunity areas” are identified, including two in the immediate Sisters area. These are the Metolius River area and the former Squaw Creek area, recently renamed Whychus Creek.

“In the Metolius River ecoregion, key habitats are identified as ponderosa pine woodlands and riparian with key species listed as white-headed woodpeckers, raptors, bull trout, and wolverine,” Nugent explained. “Specific recommended actions are presented along with sources of additional information. To help the white-headed woodpecker survive requires large pine trees for nesting and feeding. A land manager can learn that he can help that species by retaining large trees.”

Wildlife has always been a part of Oregon’s diverse landscape beginning with Native Americans making wild animals a part of their culture to early-day pioneers naming places for animals, such as Beaverton, Bear Creek, Elk Lake, and Trout Creek. More recently, fish and wildlife-related activities of hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing contribute more than $2 billion annually to the state’s economy, according to ODFW.

The focus isn’t on “game” animals, however.

“Most of Oregon’s 800 plus species are non-game species, but important to our lives,” Nugent said.

The conservation strategy came together relatively quickly.

Over the past year and half, a coalition of scientists, conservation groups, landowners, anglers, hunters, and representatives from agriculture, forestry and rangelands working under a tight timeline, drafted the strategy, according to Meg Kenagy, statewide marketing communications coordinator for ODFW.

“Technical advisors, ODFW staff, local governments, Native American tribes, federal agencies, and private organizations and citizens also participated in drafting the strategy,” she added.

She suggests a visit to the ODFW web site at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy to find any of the eight ecoregions. Citizens can then take individual action or contact ODFW or local conservation groups to offer your help, she said.

Federal approval will provide ODFW with about $1 million of federal funds annually to implement the strategy. The strategy also identifies how Oregonians can participate in a non-regulatory and cooperative statewide approach to conservation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute $68.5 million in grants this spring and more has been budgeted for the next fiscal year, according to Nugent.