Project Goal:

The objective of this project is to implement wildlife mitigation activities under the Southern Idaho Wildlife Mitigation Program in order to protect, enhance and/or restore and maintain riparian, shrub-steppe, and scrub-shrub wetland habitat at suitable sites in the Middle Snake Province as mitigation for wildlife losses associated with the construction of Black Canyon, Deadwood and Anderson Ranch hydro-electric projects.  Target fish and wildlife species include mule deer, elk, mallard, mink, black-capped chickadee, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, spruce grouse, greater sage-grouse, redband trout, and bull trout. This contract has been developed to cover personnel, administrative, and operating costs related to the Wilson/101 Ranch.  

Background:

In southern Idaho, BPA is responsible for mitigating wildlife habitat losses identified in the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program in the area covered by the Southern Idaho Wildlife Mitigation (SIWM) project.  The SIWM group includes the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

Property Background:

The Wilson Ranch is a 938 acre ranch located on the East Fork Owyhee River in Mountain City, Nevada. The ranch was purchased in November 2009 and the Tribes took possession of the property in February 2010. The ranch  consists of six parcels, three of which are bisected by the East Fork Owyhee River. Habitats present on the ranch include sagebrush steppe, deciduous scrub-shrub wetland, riverine, agriculture, and pasture. The property was purchased as partial mitigation for wildlife habitat lost due to the construction and inundation of Anderson Ranch Dam and Reservoir in the Middle Snake Province. The baseline minimum irreducible number of habitat units (HUs) credited to BPA's wildlife mitigation debt in the basin is  557 HUs. A Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) was conducted at the Ranch in July 2010. The results of the HEP will be completed by the end of FY2010.

During the first year of the project, much of the work focused on gathering information relative to the extent and condition of each cover type, condition and status of improvements, presence/absence/extent of noxious weeds, status of the irrigation system. Wildlife surveys were conducted to better understand the species composition, diversity and distribution across the property. Breeding bird, small mammal, bat, and amphibian surveys were undertaken as a first step towards a species inventory for the property. Some of the data gathered during spring and summer 2011 will be incorporated into the draft management plan while other information will be included once the data is analyzed.

The focus of the FY2011 contract will be on addressing noxious weed issues on the property as well as getting the irrigation system back in  proper working order. Noxious weeds occur on each of the six parcels that comprise the Wilson Ranch. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), hoary cress (Cardaria spp.)  and dyer's woad (AIsatis tinctoria) are the predominant weed species on the Wilson Ranch, however there is a small infestation of leafy spurge that the Tribes plan to aggressively treat in order to eradicate from the Ratliff Parcel.  The irrigation system has not been adequately maintained over the past few years which has resulted in clogged irrigation ditches, washed out culverts and washed out ditches. Spring 2011 saw high flows through early June and a number of diversions were damaged due to the heavy runoff. Two log dams were dislodged on the East Fork Owyhee River while a third   was weakened by the impact of these flows. A bridge providing access to the south side of the Angell Parcel was damaged and will need to be replaced/repaired in order to avoid collapse. The Tribes intend to address a number of irrigation issues during FY2011 n order to get the system functioning properly.