The Upper John Day Conservation Lands Project consists of the operation and maintenance of habitat protection, management, and restoration at Mainstem Forrest, Middle Fork Forrest, Oxbow, and Dunstan Conservation Areas.  In addition to habitat work, the Prairie City office on the Mainstem Forrest Conservation Area has a native plant nursery program. These programs have a history of large restoration actions on degraded habitats on these properties, but these actions are now moved under the John Day Watershed Restoration Project (2007-397-00).  Future focus is on habitat protection and maintenance.

Project History
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 combined, 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.  Forrest was in a separate BPA project number (2001-041-01) until it merged (under 2000-015-00) with Oxbow in 2017.  The 1,199-acre Dunstan property was acquired by the Tribes from the Nature Conservancy in mid-2019, and now 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, it has since been merged into this project (2000-015-00). In this contract period the number of plants propagated and outplanted will be significantly decreased. JDWR has a limited number of planting opportunities and recently has contracted out the larger planting efforts. The Tribes will work to propagate roughly 10,000 plants and out-plant roughly 4,000 plants for the Tribes' Conservation Areas and numerous project sites managed by the John Day Watershed Restoration Project. The nursery will use the remaining plants to assist 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.

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.

2024 Contract Focus:
The V2V (Vinegar to Vincent Creek - MFJD Restoration) habitat restoration project occurred on the Forrest property in 2022 and was the largest phase of construction that year, which was managed by the JD Watershed Restoration Program.  The multi-phased project reconnected the Middle Fork John Day with its historic floodplain, remove a railroad grade that is impeding natural fluvial function, and add habitat structures throughout the new reach. The field crew will continue assisting with plantings, weed control, fence maintenance, erosion issues, and long-term operations and adaptive management of this project.    

O&M Properties - Activities will focus on repairing boundary fences and weed control program wide. All parcels have cattle on adjacent lands. Maintaining boundary fences minimizes cattle trespass. Noxious weed treatment is a major seasonal activity. Upland and riparian weeds displace native species and negatively impact the riparian community.  Maintenance of weeds, erosion, plants, and structures will be a focus in 2024. The areas that were disturbed through planting and fencing on Dunstan and Oxbow will also need attention. Staff will focus on fence issues throughout Oxbow, the southern boundary of Dunstan and cross fencing on the Mainstem Forrest property uplands.

O&M Nursery - Activities will focus on seed collection, propagation and out planting. Staff will continue to utilize nursery infrastructure to care for plantings in various stages. Staff will continue to prepare plant numbers for up-to-date inventory lists leading into out planting efforts in the spring and fall.

The Land Management Plan for the Dunstan Conservation Area was drafted in 2020, but field work was delayed due to COVID-19 closures.  2021 staffing and other delays further postponed its completion until the end of the contract. The draft completed in March 2022 will be reviewed by BPA, Tribes, and other partners in this contract and finalized in 2024.