The Oxbow Conservation Area, a 1,022 acre property, was purchased as a high priority project in 2001 with BPA mitigation funds by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (Tribes).  The Forrest Conservation Area, with its two parcels of 4,232-acres, was purchased as a high priority project in 2002 with BPA mitigation funds by the Tribes. These Projects have since received BPA annual funding for O&M as part of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Tribes and BPA.  The goal of these projects are to "protect, manage, and restore" habitat values for fish and wildlife. The 1,199-acre Dunstan property was acquired by the Tribes from the The Nature Conservancy in mid 2019.  The Dunstan property will also be managed and protected by the Tribes through this BPA Project.  

The John Day Native Plants Nursery Program started in 2004 under the John Day Watershed Restoration Project (1998-018-00; aka 2007-397-00). In 2011, the nursery program was moved under the Forrest Conservation Area Project (2001-041-01) because of county land zoning and the project's ability to generate revenue. This project will fund work to propagate roughly 30,000 plants and out-plant roughly 16,000 plants for the Tribes' BPA-funded projects including the Forrest Conservation Area, the Oxbow Conservation Area, the Dunstan Conservation Area, and the John Day Watershed Restoration Project. The nursery will also assist with growing plants for partners including federal and state agencies where project goals seek to enhance anadromous fish habitat. Plants produced under this contract may be planted at conservation project sites throughout the John Day River Basin that aim to protect, manage, and enhance habitat that support culturally significant fish populations.

This contract is the second year that the Forrest, Oxbow and Dunstan Conservation areas are consolidated with the John Day Native Plants Nursery Program in order to simplify administration.

The Oxbow and Forrest properties are located within the John Day subbasin plan’s highest priority 5th Field HUC, Camp Creek, for Middle Fork subwatershed.  The properties hold high concentrations of adult spring Chinook salmon through the high temperatures and low flows of the summer months, offers spawning and rearing habitat to Chinook salmon, ESA-listed as Threatened Mid-Columbia summer steelhead and bull trout as well as access to fish-bearing perennial tributaries that come into the properties from National Forest lands. Pacific lamprey also use the habitats on these properties for spawning and rearing.

Before acquisition for conservation purposes, activities on the properties severely impacted habitat potential via overgrazing, dredge mining, invasive plants, channel straightening, and the clearing of trees and shrubs from riparian habitat.  Since acquisition, the Tribes have been working to protect existing habitat, restore degraded habitat, and assess conditions within the property and its valuable fish and wildlife habitat.  This Project will continue to follow the goals, objectives, and guidelines presented in the Oxbow and Forrest property management plan. Biological objectives for these lands target habitat for anadromous fish populations and other ESA-listed and sensitive species found on the property.

This Project will continue to address aquatic priorities outlined in the John Day Subbasin Plan:

•Protect High Quality Existing Habitat – achieved through various property O&M, education and outreach, riparian fencing, controlled access, monitoring trends, etc.
•Enhance Riparian and Instream Habitat – achieved through channel restoration of historically dredged and degraded streams, intensive riparian planting, adding large wood for habitat and stream complexity where needed, and controlling invasive plants in riparian corridors.  
•Fish Passage and Habitat Connectivity – achieved through improving irrigation diversions, and replacing outdated fish screens.
•Flow Restoration - achieved through protection of existing water rights, careful use irrigation for riparian enhancement and groundwater storage, and monitoring of flows surrounding such use.

With the completion of the Oxbow Tailings Restoration Project in 2017, the 2020 focus will continue special maintenance of the mile of restored river and creek channels completed in 2016 (Phase 4&5).  This work will include weed control, continued seeding, and other maintenance and monitoring. Other Project work in 2020 will focus on riparian cages and additional plantings to protect against ungulate browse and beaver activity to woody plants and promote maximum growth for shading streams on all the properties. Starting in 2019 a major focus of operations and maintenance for all properties is boundary fencing to reduce or eliminate cattle trespass. approximately 10 miles of boundary fence has already been repaired or replaced with at least 10 additional miles planned for 2020.

The second phase of the Vincent to Caribou (V to C II) project on the Forrest property will be implemented under this contract. V to C II will complete restoration for the lower 2 miles of the Forrest property parcel located on the Middle Fork John Day River. Project designs include the removal of a railroad grade that is limiting the natural process of the Middle Fork John Day, large wood placements, removal of rock barbs, riparian plantings, woody plant protection, and addition of in-stream gravels.

The first phase of the Vincent to Vinegar Project, also on the Forrest property, will be implemented in 2020 under the John Day Basin Office BPA contract with partial funding from OWEB's  Focused Implementation Partnership grant program through the John Day Partnership. The multi-phased project will reconnect the Middle Fork John Day with it's historic floodplain, remove a railroad grade that is impeding natural fluvial function, and add habitat structures throughout the new reach. Phase one will focus on work in the floodplain to create the new channel, install habitat structures, construct a browse fence, and conduct riparian plantings. The restoration field crew will assist with plantings and long term operations and adaptive management of this project.    

This Contract funds five full-time staff and partially funds other staff as needed for the Conservation Areas and the Nursery. This contract will fund operations and maintenance of the four conservation areas, the Forrest Conservation Area office and the Nursery program including utilities, supplies, office support, and travel/transportation.

Projected propagation for 2020:
seedlings: 20,000-25,000
rooted cuttings: 5,000

Nursery Program Core Components:
Greenhouse: one 30'x72' structure with gravel floors, polycarbonate siding and ceiling, automated overhead boom irrigation, electricity, and propane heat. Greenhouse propagation capacity is between 20,000 and 30,000 depending on plant container size.

Coldframes: two 20'x48' structures for overwintering plants.

Outdoor Nursery (stoolbeds): 1.79 acres containing roughly 600 native plants. Current irrigation systems are drip and overhead sprinkler run on electric pumps. Anticipated 2019 vegetative-cutting harvest from the nursery stoolbeds is roughly 5,000 depending on project orders.

Outdoor Shade Areas: approximately 2000 square feet of outdoor shaded growing area.

Seed Lab: indoor laboratory space for cleaning, drying, and treating seed.

Walk-in Cooler: 6'x6' cooler for storing and stratifying seed.