📋 Tender Overview
Washington D.C. - Oregons U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $22 million to the Qapqapa Wildlife Area project in Northeast Oregons Union County which will be co-managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW).
This funding through the Forest Legacy Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will restore traditional Tribal access for hunting gathering and fishing along the Grande Ronde River and Beaver Creek and open new lands to public access. The property will be managed as a working forest to enhance forest health wildfire reduction habitat and aquatic restoration projects and support timber production and jobs at local mills.
Oregons forests must be conserved to ensure our lands remain healthy well-managed and accessible to Tribes local residents visitors and future generations said Merkley who serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the U.S. Forest Service. Ive long championed the Forest Legacy Program to boost vital efforts like the Qapqapa Wildlife Area project to support working forests and outdoor recreation and I will keep fighting to ensure the federal government does its part to create and conserve healthy resilient forests across Oregon and the nation.
This $22 million investment in Eastern Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation helps to support time-honored Tribal activities reduce the threat of wildfires strengthen the regions world-class recreation and generate rural jobs in the woods Wyden said. That adds up to a substantial win today and for many more days to come in the Qapqapa Wildlife Area and our entire state.
Through its the USFS teams up with state agencies local partners and Tribes to encourage the protection of privately-owned forest lands through conservation easements or land purchases. This award for the Qapqapa Wildlife Area is part of a larger $106 million recently announced investment through the Forest Legacy Program where the USFS is funding 10 projects across 177000 acres of working forests that support rural economies in eight states.
The project would not have been possible without the diverse group of stakeholders that recognized the great value of our shared public lands and came together in support of the Qapqapa Wildlife Area. Pronounced cop-COP-a the name means place of the big cottonwoods and refers to the tribes placename for the property. In a first ever for the State of Oregon the Tribes and ODFW will co-manage the new wildlife area for the benefit of all. This is a terrific example of what Oregonians can accomplish by working together said Anton Chiono Habitat Conservation Project Leader CTUIR Department of Natural Resources.
ODFW is grateful for the funding to support the acquisition of an area that is culturally important to CTUIR and home to important habitat for threatened trout salmon and steelhead populations critical big game winter range and several species of conservation need said ODFW Director Debbie Colbert. ODFW and the Tribes would collaboratively manage the wildlife area to maintain its critical wildlife connectivity and habitat for a variety of species while providing access for Tribal members to collect First Foods on their homeland and for members of the public to hunt fish and view wildlife.
Public access is the most important aspect of the Qapqapa Wildlife Area project in Union County. Citizens from Union County and beyond will be able to access the property for the first time on a long time said Chair Paul Anderes Union County Board of Commissioners. I am very supportive of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation & ODFWs plan for managing for multiple use through good stewardship with active management.
The commitment of LWCF Forest Legacy funding is a vital step toward completion of this conservation project that will conserve habitat for elk other big game and a myriad of wildlife while also providing continued active forest management and public access for hunters anglers and others said Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation President and CEO Kyle Weaver. We recognize and salute the collaborative effort of our partners at the U.S. Department of Agriculture State of Oregon Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the landowner who is carrying forward Harry Merlos legacy as a Life Member of RMEF. We share gratitude for the support from elected officials both locally and in Congress for bringing this conservation legacy within reach.
###
