6A | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Creswell conservation easement protects WV habitat
A 1,610-acre working
lands conservation ease-
ment in the South Willa-
mette Valley now protects
the highly imperiled Ore-
gon vesper sparrow along
with large swaths of grass-
lands and oak woodlands.
A grassland-dependent
bird, the Oregon vesper
sparrow is petitioned to be
federally listed as endan-
gered.
In October, property
owners Darrick and Shan-
non Salyers and their fam-
ily granted the easement
through ODFW’s Willa-
mette Wildlife Mitigation
Program (WWMP). The
easement is held by the
Center for Natural Lands
Management, a non-profit
that protects sensitive bio-
logical resources in Oregon,
Washington, and Califor-
nia.
Laura Tesler, Willamette
Wildlife Mitigation Pro-
gram coordinator, praises
the Salyers family for join-
ing the program to perma-
nently protect the property
for its wildlife values, many
of which are vanishing in
the valley.
The owner retains rights
to conduct certain land
management activities with
the signing of this ease-
ment, Tesler said.
“This is the largest long-
term conservation commit-
ment we have for the South
Willamette Valley, giving
us a very rare opportunity
to help the largest known
population of Oregon ves-
per sparrow in the valley,”
Tesler said. “The sheer size
of this property and the
amount of oak woodlands
and grasslands it contains
will help many of our wild-
life species that depend on
these two diminishing hab-
itat types.”
The property, Creswell
Oaks, also includes Doug-
las-fir forest and riparian
habitats and is home to
many Oregon Conservation
Strategy Species including
western gray squirrel, acorn
woodpecker, and common
nighthawk which are be-
coming uncommon. In to-
tal, the area protects habitat
for 10 Strategy bird species
along with western rattle-
snakes and western gray
squirrels which are also
Strategy Species.
As a working cattle and
timber operation, Creswell
Oaks is a special type of
working lands conserva-
tion easement. The proper-
ty is managed to maintain
healthy grasslands by graz-
ing cattle through rotating
paddocks to prevent over-
grazing.
This practice created hab-
itat for the Oregon vesper
sparrow and for threatened
plants including Bradshaw’s
lomatium.
“Creswell Oaks is a great
example of how a work-
ing landscape can blend
activities, such as grazing,
to benefit wildlife habitat,”
Tesler said. “The WWMP
is an excellent program for
valley landowners interest-
ed in permanent protection
for wildlife habitat on their
lands through acquisition
of fee title or conservation
easement.
Landowners
whose property has Ore-
gon Conservation Strategy
species and habitats and
who would like to protect
those values from develop-
ment might consider the
WWMP.”
Cooperators in the Cre-
swell Oaks conservation
easement include the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service’s
(USFWS) Partners for Fish
and Wildlife Program.
The program contributes
technical assistance as well
as in-kind and contract-
ed work for oak woodland
thinning. Oak thinning
and conifer removal re-
duces competition, allow-
ing oaks to grow larger,
produce more acorns, and
provide more cavities for
Oregon Conservation Strat-
egy focal species such as the
white-breasted nuthatch,
acorn woodpecker, and
western bluebird.
Another partner, the
Coast Fork Willamette Wa-
tershed Council is currently
conducting riparian refor-
estation, stabilization, and
fencing on a tributary of
Camas Swale Creek.
The council also conducts
the Waters Program (Wa-
tershed Action Teams in
Education, Restoration, and
Stewardship) with Creswell
Middle School. Students
admitted to the program
meet monthly at Creswell
Oaks to learn about natural
resources and participate in
a stewardship activity such
as clearing invasive species
and planting native trees.
Creswell Oaks represents
nearly 10 percent of the
WWMP’s protected acre-
age goal of acquiring 16,880
acres of wildlife mitigation
property and adds substan-
tially to the total protected
acreage of both grassland
and oak woodland habitat.
The Willamette Wild-
life Mitigation Program is
funded by the Bonneville
Power Administration to
mitigate fish, wildlife, and
habitat impacts from con-
struction and operation
of Willamette River Basin
Flood Control Projects.
Landowners interested in
conserving their property
though a conservation ease-
ment or purchase can con-
tact Tesler at 503-947-6086
or email laura.tesler@state.
or.us
Public invited to free screening of ‘Ice on Fire’
This Friday, Dec. 13,
beginning at 7 p.m., the
public is invited to a free
screening of the documen-
tary film “Ice on Fire” at
the Rural Organizing Proj-
ect Building, 632 E Main
St., in Cottage Grove.
The screening is the
third installment in a
series of climate-relat-
ed events and is hosted
by Climate Action Cot-
tage Grove, Forest Web
and Sustainable Cottage
Grove.
The film features vision-
aries and scientists work-
ing to mitigate climate
change and minimize
climate-related events de-
spite a rapidly warming
planet.
With sweeping, “Ice on
Fire” was filmed across
the globe, from Norway to
Alaska, Iceland to Colora-
do, Switzerland to Costa
Rica to Connecticut.
The film highlights first-
hand accounts of people at
the forefront of the climate
crisis, with insights from
scientists, farmers, inno-
vators and others.
“Ice on Fire” emphasiz-
es the importance of an
immediate, two-pronged
approach to reversing the
crisis: reducing carbon
emissions through tradi-
tional renewable energy
sources and new ones,
like tidal energy, and im-
plementing “drawdown”
measures, focusing on
methods for drawing
down and sequestering
carbon, including direct
air capture, sea farms, ur-
ban farms, biochar, ma-
rine snow, bionic leaves
and others.
A discussion about the
film will be held after the
screening.
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