National Wildlife Refuge System
Pacific Region

Wood ducks
Wood ducks / © Jim Cruce



Willamette Valley Conservation Study Area Location Map
(click on map to enlarge)



National Wildlife Refuges within
the Willamette Valley:

Tualatin River NWR
Baskett Slough NWR
Ankeny NWR
William L. Finley NWR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







William L. Finley NWR / USFWS

 

Willamette Valley Conservation Study

Oregonxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Current Activity

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners, are initiating a collaborative, multi-year study of land and water conservation opportunities within Oregon's Willamette Valley identified as the Willamette Valley Conservation Study (WVCS).

We held our first public meetings in October 2011 to gain public input on the WVCS. The meetings were held in Sherwood, Salem, and Eugene, Oregon, on October 12, 13, and 18, 2011.

There will be numerous opportunities for public involvement throughout the study.

 

The information we shared at the meetings follows.

WVCS: An America's Great Outdoor Initiative
(swf 6 mb)


WVCS Information (pdf 4 mb)


A summary of the information our partners and the public shared with us at the meetings follows.

WVCS: Summary of the October Meetings
Meetings
Description
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners, are initiating a collaborative study of land and water conservation opportunities within Oregon's Willamette Valley, identified as the Willamette Valley Conservation Study (WVCS). It is part of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative to develop 21st Century conservation and recreation solutions (see http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/).

The initiative promotes the premise that lasting conservation solutions should rise from the American people, and that the appreciation and protection of our natural heritage is an objective shared by all Americans. To advance that premise, we are creating a Willamette Valley Conservation Study forum where local communities, landowners, agencies, and organizations can collaborate on potential land conservation strategies that support local economies, conserve natural resources, and provide increased outdoor recreation and education opportunities.

In collaboration with our partners and stakeholders, we will focus on the following.

  • Conserving rare and declining habitats such as wet prairie, upland prairie-oak savanna, oak woodland, and riparian areas.
  • Assisting in recovering endangered, threatened, and candidate species.
  • Supporting the sustainability of working farms and forests with a wildlife conservation role.
  • Connecting people to nature through outdoor recreation and education opportunities.
  • Assisting in achieving the Pacific Flyway's Canada goose objectives, while reducing impacts to agricultural producers.

 


The view east from Pigeon Butte / © Joe Staff

We consider the long-term sustainability of working farms and forest lands as an important component of our overall conservation strategy. Conservation easements or cooperative management agreements could provide economic incentives for private landowners to fully participate in this effort, while maintaining traditional uses of their property. The outcome of this study could result in one or more activities, including:

  • Multiple strategies and agency actions.
  • A land conservation plan and environmental assessment that identifies areas with high conservation or recreation values that could be protected through a voluntary conservation easement program and/or by expanding or creating national wildlife refuges.
Following Service policy, lands for potential new or expanded refuges would only be acquired from willing sellers. We will also identify strategies to reduce impacts to agricultural producers while providing forage for wintering geese.

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Public Involvement

Welcome
Your questions and comments are important to us! Whether you are an interested individual or a group representative, please do not hesitate to contact us with your perspective on the direction and future outcome of the Willamette Valley Conservation Study.



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Submitting Comments
You can submit written comments or request to be added to our mailing list using our comment form, or by any of the following options.


E
-mail address: FW1 WVCS@fws.gov

Fax number: 503.231.6187


Mailing Address:

Kevin O'Hara, Conservation Planner
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region
Division of Planning, Visitor Services, and Transportation

911 NE 11th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232-4181

Contact Information

Contact for Benton, Lane, Linn,
Marion and Polk Counties:
Jim Houk, Deputy Project Leader
Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex
26208 Finley Refuge Road
Corvallis, OR 97333
Phone: 541.757.7236

Contact for Clackamas, Multnomah,
Washington and Yamhill Counties:

Erin Holmes, Project Leader
Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge
19255 SW Pacific Highway
Sherwood, OR 97140
Phone: 503.625.5944

 

Regional Contact:
Kevin O'Hara, Conservation Planner
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region
Division of Planning, Visitor Services, and Transportation
911 NE 11th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232-4181
Phone: 503.231.2086

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Documents
Willamette Valley Conservation Study Information

WVCS: An America's Great Outdoor Initiative (swf 6 mb)

  WVCS: Summary of the October Meetings

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Willamette Valley CAS Location Map