In 2010, the State of Oregon and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) entered into a fifteen year agreement to permanently settle wildlife mitigation responsibilities for the federal Willamette River Basin Flood Control and Hydroelectric Project in the Willamette subbasin. The Willamette Project includes 13 multi-purpose dams and reservoirs as part of the Federal Columbia River Power System. The Parties to the Willamette River Basin Memorandum of Agreement Regarding Wildlife Protection and Enhancement (MOA) determined that settlement would be accomplished through the protection of an agreed number of acres that, once protected, would permanently settle the federal mitigation requirement. BPA agreed to provide specific funding amounts for the purchase of lands in fee title or conservation easement, as well as the protection and maintenance of this acreage.

The MOA established goals for mitigating the effects of the construction, inundation and operation of the Willamette River Basin Flood Control and Hydroelectric Projects. Under the terms of the MOA, Oregon and the BPA agreed to acquire at least an additional 16,880 acres of wildlife mitigation property to protect 26,537 acres (or more) by the end of 2025. To accomplish this mitigation objective the parties established the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program (WWMP), managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

ODFW will solicit project proposals on an annual basis. Projects will meet identified WWMP priorities.  Once submitted, projects will be reviewed by a technical review team to be scored and ranked according to the WWMP’s Project Selection Criteria.  Following the technical review, proposed projects are reviewed by a stakeholder group, the Willamette Advisory Group.  Following their review, the ODFW Director recommends a final project list to BPA for funding. ODFW will also be doing Operations and Maintenance work on properties that the Department acquires and on other WWMP properties on an as needed basis. To do the restoration activities that follow acquisition, ODFW needs to hire more seasonal staff and also make equipment purchases. ODFW also needs to hire one more staff position in the South Willamette basin a that are currently does not have representation and a large majority of projects originate from that area.

In 2013, the Independent Scientific Review Panel directed ODFW to develop a compliance monitoring program. To undertake this directive, ODFW needs to hire a contractor to set up baseline conditions and start working on developing a program that can monitor all acquisitions into the WWMP over time.