Zumwalt Prairie Preserve Expands: Grassland preserve is haven for birds of prey and other wildlife
May 3, 2006
The Nature Conservancy has signed an option to purchase 6,065 acres from a private owner to expand its Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in Northeast Oregon. With the addition, the preserve will be the largest privately owned nature sanctuary in Oregon, encompassing nearly 33,000 acres of rolling grasslands, wooded hillsides and perennial streams.
Zumwalt Prairie, near the town of Enterprise, is considered the most extensive intact swath of native bunchgrass prairie in North America. It hosts one of the densest concentrations of breeding birds of prey on the continent including golden eagles, ferruginous hawks and other raptors that raise their young on abundant ground squirrels thriving among the deep-soiled prairie grasses.
The addition to the preserve would include 13 miles of streams in the headwaters of Pine Creek, important to federally protected runs of Snake River steelhead. Rare plants on the site include the endangered Spalding’s catchfly and Wallowa needlegrass.
The property was also the last refuge of the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse before it vanished from Wallowa County in the 1940s and is likely to play a role in ongoing efforts to reintroduce the once-common grassland bird.
“The more we learn about Zumwalt Prairie, the more excited we are about contributing to the conservation of such an extraordinary place.”
Russell Hoeflich
Director
The Nature Conservancy in Oregon
“The more we learn about Zumwalt Prairie, the more excited we are about contributing to the conservation of such an extraordinary place,” said Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director for the Conservancy. “Generations of landowners before us were good stewards of the land, and today the community still cares deeply about Zumwalt Prairie. We look forward to continuing to work with our neighbors and the community to protect and restore a prairie ecosystem for future generations.”
The Conservancy purchased its original 26,920-acre Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in October 2000. When the adjoining purchase is completed, the preserve will total nearly 33,000 acres, equivalent to more than 51 square miles. According to the option to purchase agreement, the Conservancy has until September 29, 2006, to raise the purchase price of $3 million.
“When the community welcomed us to Wallowa County, we pledged to be a good neighbor including paying property taxes, hiring and contracting locally, managing the land well and contributing to the local economy,” said Phil Shephard, the Conservancy’s Northeast Oregon stewardship director. “We’ve done that; we now have more than four local full-time staff, and the preserve has a full complement of research and restoration projects, attracting many visitors, researchers and volunteers each year.”
The Conservancy’s local advisory board helped create a management plan for the preserve that includes biological inventory, weed management, prescribed fire and stream restoration among key actions outlined for the site. The management plan will be extended to include the new property, which will also be assessed for its potential as a “grass bank” that would provide forage for neighboring ranches while their lands are rested or slated for restoration work.
For More Information:
- Where We Work: The Nature Conservancy in Oregon
Working with partners, businesses, governments, local communities, and people like you, The Nature Conservancy has helped to protect more than 484,000 acres of important habitats in Oregon.
- Places We Protect: Zumwalt Prairie Preserve, Oregon
Zumwalt Prairie is North America's largest remaining grassland of its type, and the largest Conservancy acquisition ever in Oregon. It is home to remarkable numbers of hawks, eagles and other wildlife.
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