Contract for Operations & Management of the Pine Creek Conservation Area by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.  

The Conservation Area includes the Pine Creek Ranch and Wagner Ranch Acquisitions, and is managed by the Tribes in accordance with the Pine Creek Conservation Area Wildlife Habitat and Watershed Management Plan.   This plan serves as the site-specific management plan called for in Section 3. (b) of the MOA between the Tribes and BPA.  The MOA is the primary legal document guiding the Tribes' management of the property.  This plan is supplemental to the MOA, and provides further definition to the Tribes commitment to manage the property for fish and wildlife habitat.  

Pine Creek Conservation Area is intended, as a wildlife and watershed mitigation site, to partially offset wildlife habitat losses caused by John Day Dam on the Columbia River.  Habitat management will, as specified in the MOA between BPA and the Tribes, to the extent possible, focus on strategies designed to achieve and maintain native habitat that is naturally self-sustaining.  

In many cases, recovery of watershed functions or native plant communities may only occur over the course of several decades.  Other changes, such as community dominance by invasive species, may be permanent without active intervention on the part of land managers.  Future climate changes may also limit or prevent recovery to historic conditions.  

Where possible, altered or damaged ecosystem functions will be restored through passive restoration techniques, such as the prevention of activities which degrade or prevent recovery.  Passive restoration strategies will be paired with active interventions as needed, such as replacement of culverts creating fish passage barriers.  It is hoped that these efforts will lead to conservation of biodiversity in the form of native fish, wildlife, and plant communities.  

An additional goal for the project is to work in partnership with neighboring landowners, local, state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, and educational groups, and serve as an example of watershed recovery and wildlife habitat management in the lower John Day Basin.  Successful monitoring of changes to vegetation, wildlife, fish use and distribution, and hydrology are critical to this effort.  

Several specific management objectives are described in the approved Wildlife Habitat and Watershed Management Plan, and are to be addressed by this Statement of Work and its Work Elements.  In most cases, WE's are ongoing activities developed in long term furtherance of the objectives.  Certain Work Elements including WE identification numbers B (119); C (132) and D (185) facilitate the achievement of all Plan objectives listed below .  The following are the management plan objectives most closely pertaining to specific WE identification numbers within this 2007 SOW:

Upland Areas (Section VII in the Plan):  Addressed by WE's G (26); J (22); and K (27).
1. Maintain a diverse, dynamic mosaic of native vegetation communities and wildlife habitats.  Maintain or increase the extent of native bunchgrass and shrub steppe communities.  

2. Maintain appropriate vegetation for healthy watershed function, including infiltration, storage, and release of water to maintain or improve water quality, water quantity and the timing and duration of flow.  

3. Allow the occurrence of natural disturbance processes within their range of natural variability and the practical constraints of limited land area and altered ecological potential.    

4. Reduce ongoing encroachment of western juniper into bunchgrass and shrub steppe habitat types.  Reduce the impacts of juniper encroachment on watershed hydrology.  Maintain a diversity of western juniper age classes and habitat structural conditions.  

Riparian Habitat Areas (Section VIII): Addressed by WE J (22).
5. Facilitate recovery of riparian systems in Proper Functioning Condition (Prichard, 1998) that will allow development of desired habitat characteristics.  

6. Provide quality aquatic and riparian habitats for native fish and wildlife, within their natural potential.  

7. Establish functioning riparian buffers and wildlife habitat by restoring key native vegetation species in abandoned agricultural fields adjacent to Pine Creek and the John Day River.  

Listed Species (Section IX): Addressed by WE F (188) (i.e. regulation of uses by the public and outside interests); and WE A (165) (assuring environmental compliance in management activities and specific projects).
8. Protect habitats of all listed species as appropriate.  

Wildlife and Fish (Section X): Addressed by WE F (188) (i.e. regulation of uses including the hunting program), and WE J (22).
9. Manage for native habitats that will sustain populations of diverse native wildlife species, while providing continued hunting opportunities for tribal members and the public.  

10. Protect, maintain, or increase local populations of native steelhead and redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by allowing natural recovery of habitat.  

Cultural and Historic Resources (Section XII): Addressed by WE's A (165)  and E (115).
13.   Protect cultural and historic resources and avoid impacts to these resources from management activities.  

Introduced Plant Species Management (Section XIV): Addressed by WE J (22);  and G (26) (reducing cattle impacts).
14. Minimize the impacts of introduced species on native vegetation and hydrological function.  

15. Reduce the potential spread of noxious weeds to uninfested areas and neighboring lands.  

Grazing and Fences (Sections XV & XVI): Addressed by WE's G (26) (reducing cattle trespass and cooperative repairing of exterior fences); J (22) (weed control); and K (27) (removing interior fence).
16. Allow habitat recovery to occur prior to any managed livestock grazing on deeded lands.  Utilize livestock grazing only as a wildlife habitat management tool, in conjunction with this plan and/ or future revisions.  Coordinate management of Spring Basin and Amine Peak BLM grazing allotments with Prineville District BLM.  

17. Work with neighbors to maintain or replace boundary fences as necessary to minimize trespass grazing.  

18. Reduce the impact of interior fences on natural movement patterns of wildlife.  

Roads (Section XVII): Not specifically address in this SOW, though regulating access is consistent with meeting this objective under WE F (188).
19. Minimize impacts of roads, including erosion and weed dispersal.  Maintain only road segments necessary for management access to property.  Allow unnecessary road segments to revegetate.  

Fire Management (Section XVIII): Not specifically addressed in this SOW, although it is common for each work year to include management activity involving a wildfire on the property.
20. Allow wildfires to play a role in the restoration and maintenance of native upland habitats, while taking into consideration concerns of neighboring landowners.  

21. Utilize prescription fires in a safe and appropriate manner to benefit native habitats, e.g., by minimizing juniper encroachment.  

Tribal and Public Access (Section XIX): Addressed by WE's F (188); and H (99).
22. Allow regulated tribal and public access.  Restrict access or activities that may harm natural resources or interfere with achievement of management objectives.  

Land Exchange (Section XX): Addressed by WE L (114).
23. Work with the Prineville District BLM to achieve an equal-value land exchange that would consolidate Conservation Area habitat and facilitate management of tribal and public lands.  

Monitoring and Evaluation (Section XXI): Addressed by WE's I (157); and F (188) (research coordination).
24. Accurately monitor and evaluate changes in riparian conditions, upland vegetation, and wildlife habitats, and fish and wildlife use.  Document the effects of management actions.  Facilitate increased understanding of ecosystem recovery processes and potentials.  

25. Encourage natural sciences research and educational activities.