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  deciduous scrub-shrub wetland, shrubsteppe, deciduous shrubland, agriculture/pasture, and riverine habitats at suitable sites in the Middle Snake Province as mitigation for wildlife losses associated with the construction of  Anderson Ranch hydro-electric project.  Target fish and wildlife species include mule deer, elk, mallard, mink,  yellow warbler, bobolink, sandhill crane, Columbia spotted frog, greater sage-grouse and redband trout, . This contract has been developed to cover personnel, administrative, and operating costs related to the Wilson/101 Ranch.  

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  consists of six parcels. Habitats present on the ranch include sagebrush steppe, deciduous scrub-shrub wetland, riverine, and agriculture/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 was 557 HUs. A Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) was conducted at the Ranch in July 2010.

During the FY2013 contract period the Tribes will focus on: (1) continuing to implement the Weed Management Strategy for the property,  (2) implement a pilot bank stabilization project on the East Fork Owyhee River,  (3) begin development of a native plant propagation program, (4) work with NRCS to complete a Conservation Management Plan for the ranch, and (5) plant woody species along the Ross Gulch arm of the Baker parcel to accelerate recovery of the riparian area impacted by the 2012 Brown's Gulch Fire.  NRCS technical assistance will be accessed to identify additional conservation measures, at no cost to the program.