OHA protects SW Cascades meadow habitat

By Tyler Dungannon, Conservation Coordinator

OHA recently installed 2 miles of new wildlife-friendly fence and removed 2 miles of old dilapidated fencing around Willow Prairie in the southwest Cascades. A total of 38 OHA volunteers put in close to 300 hours of work and made the trip from nine OHA chapters, including Rogue Valley, Umpqua, Josephine County, Yamhill County, Klamath, Bend, Tualatin Valley, Emerald Valley, Pioneer and Mid-Willamette.

The U.S. Forest Service district wildlife and range staff had been trying to find the means to implement this project for many years. OHA attained grant funding, provided all materials and equipment, and completed the project with excellent support from USFS. The estimated value of this project based on quotes received by USFS was between $80,000 and $110,000 for labor and materials.

OHA is working to protect and enhance meadow systems in the southwest Cascades for the benefit of wildlife, their habitat, and hunters. Meadow systems are important for deer and elk, and across the Cascades, meadows are at risk of loss, degradation, and fragmentation due to conifer encroachment, heavy use by domestic livestock, illegal OHV use, wildfire suppression and other factors.

OHA has now completed two of the three large-scale wildlife-friendly fences under the umbrella of our Southwest Cascades Meadow Protection Regional Project.

In the summer of 2025, OHA will shift its efforts to Short Creek Prairie, where we will protect an additional 2 miles of meadow.

With collaboration of multiple chapters, State OHA, and an open invitation to all OHA members and partners at these projects, we have and will continue to implement landscape-scale projects that offer a significant benefit to wildlife.

OHA conservation staff procured a $50,000 grant provided by the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund to fence three large meadows in the southwest Cascades.

In addition to OCRF and USFS, OHA thanks partners ODFW, Coastal Farm & Ranch, Legacy Sports International, OnX and North American Taxidermy.