Background

The 1,361-acre Rice property was acquired with BPA funds on March 15, 2002. It is managed as part of the Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh WMA.  Currently, IDFG is providing cost-share services to manage this project including personnel and operating expenses. This present contract is for interim O&M, in advance of the management plan being finalized. Requested funding is only for those actions necessary to protect BPA's investment in wildlife mitigation.

The Rice family farmed and ranched on the property for over 60 years.  Some of the seasonally flooded wetlands have been used for crop production, and the entire property has been used for livestock grazing.  Passive restoration techniques will be emphasized on most of the property.  Some of the former cropland and severely degraded riparian areas may need active restoration for recovery of wildlife habitat to occur in a reasonable length of time.  As a condition of the sale, IDFG must honor a grazing lease on a portion of the property for the next two years.  Fencing and gates will be necessary to protect Camas Creek from livestock during the term of the lease.  Some noxious weeds are present on the property and may become a significant management concern if weed infestations that were kept in check by past management practices (i.e. agriculture and grazing) start to increase as management is shifted toward wildlife habitat.  To address these concerns, IDFG is expanding an already extensive noxious weed monitoring effort used on the Camas Prairie WMA and will implement on the Rice property controls made possible by BPA O&M funding.

Project Goal

Interim protection of BPA's investment in wildlife mitigation on the Rice property.

Objectives

1.   Protect wildlife habitat.
2.   Control noxious weeds.
3.   Provide information to public
4.   Remove ditches that are draining wetlands

The Quarter Circle O (QCO) acquisition, completed in December ,1997, added 2135 acres fee-title plus 640 acres Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) lease to the existing 28,750 acres Tex Creek Wildlife Management area (TCWMA).  The three QCO parcels include approximately 3.75 miles of perennial stream in the Willow Creek, Tex Creek and Deer Creek drainages.  Historically the QCO has been farmed for grain and used as pasture for livestock.

Objectives

1.  Manage Vegetation
2.  Reduce soil erosion
3.  Noxious Weed control
4.  Protect habitat around bald eagle nest site
5.  Monitor vegetation and target species habitat