ODFW release – SALEM, Ore – Willamette Valley landowners interested in permanently protecting their lands for fish and wildlife habitat conservation can apply by April 10 for funding through ODFW’s Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program (WWMP). Landowners interested in conserving their property through a conservation easement or purchase can visit: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/willamette_wmp/index.asp Acquisitions focus on Oregon Conservation Strategy Opportunity Areas and Habitats that support Strategy Species and federally-listed species. Recent acquisitions include a 1,610-acre working lands conservation easement near Creswell that protects the highly imperiled Oregon vesper sparrow and large swaths of grasslands and oak woodlands, and 179 acres adjacent to Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge that provide habitat to the federally endangered Fender’s blue butterfly and its host plant, the federally threatened Kincaid’s lupine. The WWMP is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to mitigate fish, wildlife and habitat impacts from construction and operation of Willamette River Basin Flood Control Projects. BPA has provided approximately $117 million over 15 years to the WWMP to acquire 16,680 acres of wildlife habitat or more by the end of 2025. To date, more than 11,000 acres have been acquired.
