CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Department of the Interior today announced the establishment of the Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon as the 572nd unit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-managed National Wildlife Refuge System. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams joined partners in Oregon today to celebrate the establishment. The new 600-acre parcel will provide crucial protected habitat for threatened and endangered species. This is the fifth new unit established under Secretary Deb Haaland's leadership, and the 15th conservation area in the Refuge System.
"The National Wildlife Refuge System plays an invaluable role in providing vital landscapes for wildlife species, offering outdoor recreation and bolstering climate resilience across the country," said Secretary Deb Haaland. "In communities across the nation, the Biden-Harris administration is investing resources and bringing together local, state, Tribal and conservation partners to protect treasured outdoor spaces for current and future generations to enjoy."
"Today's announcement is the result of robust relationships that are coming together for the benefit of people and wildlife," said Director Martha Williams. "It's because of these partnerships that today we celebrate the new Willamette Valley Conservation Area, which will help support Oregon's outdoor economy while protecting and restoring threatened and endangered species."
Conservation areas are a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife, and major migration corridors, while helping to keep agricultural lands in production.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Service has added over 500,000 acres through willing seller land acquisition and approved the potential to acquire more than 1.6 million acres in fee-title and easements across the Refuge System. These efforts are locally supported and showcase a commitment to a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation. Investing in and expanding the Refuge System furthers the Biden-Harris administration's work to support community-driven efforts to conserve and restore the nation's lands and waters through the America the Beautiful Initiative.
Located in the heart of the Willamette Valley between Salem and Eugene, the acquisition of the Diamond Hill wetlands is the first purchase of the Willamette Valley Conservation Area. The 600-acre parcel just south of Brownsville, Oregon, is a step in a 10-year effort to permanently protect oak and prairie habitat for the benefit of five species listed under the Endangered Species Act, two candidate species and numerous other plant and animal species of concern. The conservation area will also provide habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, neotropical songbirds and iconic Oregon species such as the Western monarch butterfly, Western meadowlark and Oregon white oak.
The Service worked closely with Tribal Nations, including the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative, and private landowners to establish priorities for habitat management and land acquisition at the site. The establishment of the national wildlife refuge supports the cooperative's vision for protecting imperiled oak and prairie habitat, and ODFW's Oregon Conservation Strategy.
The Willamette Valley Conservation Area will be part of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a group of national wildlife refuges managed predominantly to maintain winter habitat for dusky geese. In addition to the newly established conservation area, the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of three refuges: William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge and Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2014, the Service began working with local partners on a conservation study to analyze the landscape in the Willamette Valley and evaluate habitat most in need of protection. In 2017, the Service published the Willamette Valley Conservation Study which concluded that the amount and distribution of lands managed for sensitive, native wildlife species in the valley was inadequate. The study specifically recommended the need for additional networks of grasslands, oak woodlands and riparian habitat. In 2022, the Service published draft plans including an environmental assessment, and solicited public comments. In 2023, the Service, in partnership with the Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative, created the Willamette Valley Conservation Area and published a final Land Protection Plan.
