Oregon Desert Land Trust
$52,640  Northern Basin & Range 

The Oregon Desert Land Trust, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, purchased Trout Creek Ranch in July 2021. Trout Creek Ranch includes 16,645 acres of private land and public land grazing permits covering more than 500,000 acres. The project area supports a wide variety of sensitive and other priority species, including Alvord Chub, black-necked stilt, bobolink, burrowing owl, California bighorn sheep, greater sage grouse, greater sandhill crane, Lahontan cutthroat trout, long-billed curlew, pygmy rabbit, sagebrush sparrow, trumpeter swan, and willow flycatcher. All these species depend on the continued health of mesic and aquatic resources in this desert environment.

This proposal focuses on restoring ~2 miles of Trout Creek and ~500 acres of associated wet meadows at the ranch’s Pueblo Valley headquarters. The project area—an ODFW Priority Wildlife Connectivity Area Region—connects the Pueblo Mountain and Alvord Lake Basin Conservation Opportunity Areas. This area supports several strategy species, including Alvord chub, black-necked stilt, bobolink, ferruginous hawk, greater sandhill crane, long-billed curlew, Swainson's hawk, trumpeter swan, and willow flycatcher. Prior owners converted this reach of Trout Creek to a network of ditches to facilitate flood irrigation, hay production, and cattle grazing. ODLT proposes to restore the stream and meadows to a more natural system, reestablishing connectivity and improving habitat in Trout Creek. Our first step in this process will be hiring a contractor to assess the site and develop a conceptual restoration plan. As part of the planning effort, we will draw on the expertise of various partners, including ODFW, The Nature Conservancy, Harney SWCD, High Desert Partnership, Intermountain West Joint Venture, USFWS, and the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Station. We will also solicit the input of stakeholders, including neighbors, other water rights holders, and the area's first people, the Northern Paiute.