The Sunnyside Wildlife Area (SWA) is a complex of 5 separate management units that are located in Benton and Yakima counties.  The total size of the wildlife area is 10,705 acres. Three of the units, the I-82, Headquarters and Byron Ponds, are located within the Yakima River floodplain.  Typical habitat ranges from upland shrub-steppe to mature riparian forest.  The remaining two units, Thornton and Rattlesnake Slope, are located within the western end of the Rattlesnake Hills in Benton County.  Shrub-steppe and grassland are the primary habitat types.

Substantial wetland enhancement projects have been initiated on the Headquarters unit and require continued management activity to maintain desired functionality.  Large monocultures of Russian olive exist on the HQ and Byron Pond units.  Manageable blocks of olives are removed each year so native herbaceous and woody habitat can be planted.  Noxious weeds are present on most sites and are controlled by chemical, mechanical and cultural methods.  Wherever possible, native vegetation is planted after the weeds are controlled to offer continued competition against reinfestation.

The Sunnyside Wildlife Area was selected to provide mitigation benefits for habitat losses incurred through the construction of 3 Columbia River dams (Grand Coulee, McNary and John Day).  In general, work performed on this wildlife area is centered around enhancing and restoring the native habitat to meet the needs of the indicator species that were selected to represent these habitat types.  The wildlife area also serves as an important public hunting area and is managed for production of upland wildlife and waterfowl.  The staff consists of a Wildlife Area Manager, full time Assistant Manager (Maintenance Mechanic I) and a 9-month career seasonal technician (Natural Resource Tech 2).  Budget reductions beginning in FY 2008, have been reinstated for FY 2009,  but the wildlife area staff is still only partially funded by BPA.  At the current funding level, only 54% of the manager's salary is covered under BPA funding.  All of the assistant manager's salary and all of the 9-month seasonal technician's salary is covered in the 2009 budget.  The Manager's salary has always been partially funded funded because the BPA-funded Sunnyside WA has been merged with select, state-funded lands that are associated with Snake River Mitigation.  BPA funds are only used to accomplish tasks on the original 5 units of the Sunnyside Wildlife Area.  State funds are used to make up the balance and to assure full time staffing is maintained for all lands.