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| Little Sheep Creek |
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| RMEF Program |
Land Protection |
| Project Type |
Conservation Easement Held by RMEF |
| Permanently Protected Acres |
678.00 |
| Associated Leased Acres |
.00 |
| State |
Oregon |
| County |
Wallowa |
| Year Reported |
2007 |
| Location |
Private Land |
| Additional Info |
N/A |
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At the foot of Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness lies the Wallowa Valley--birthplace of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe and home to a rich history of farming and ranching that continues today. Yet the region now faces
immense pressure from rising land values and residential development. In 2007, the pressure happily decreased by 678-acres after Richard and Debbie
Surface of Gresham, Oregon, worked with the Elk Foundation to permanently protect their piece of the valley by donating a conservation easement. Located near the towns of Joseph and Enterprise, the land lies 3.5 miles from the northern border of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and has not been grazed for over 10 years. A mixture of rolling native prairies and
ponderosa pine savannah, it also hosts a small pond and several springs. Little Sheep Creek winds along the western boundary, providing a high-quality trout fishery. Little Sheep Creek flows into the larger Imnaha River
watershed, which eventually drains into the Snake River. The easement will protect critical winter range for mule and whitetail deer, and year-round habitat for elk--as many as 300 at one time. The property also supports
badgers, coyotes, mountain lions, blue and ruffed grouse, chuckars, turkeys, black bears and hawks. |
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