Bridgerland Audubon Society and Rocky Mountain Power have reached agreement on a Conservation Easement for approximately 500 acres of Bear River bottomlands near Trenton, Utah. The easement will be signed at Bridgerland Audubon Society’s annual banquet April 22, 2009, at the Coppermill Restaurant in downtown Logan.

 

Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, acquired these lands in 1981 as part of a settlement agreement following unusually high spring runoff in the late 1970s. The property is part of the Bear River Bottoms, an extensive area of riparian and wetland habitat along the Bear River in Cache County.

 

“We thank PacifiCorp for working through the myriad details of a conservation easement,” said Val Grant, president of Bridgerland Audubon Society. “Our members and volunteers dedicated thousands of hours to record existing conditions in preparation for the easement. Their work led to a management plan that will guide us in controlling noxious weeds, restoring oxbow wetlands and improving habitat for birds. We certainly couldn’t have gotten this far without the excellent scientific help provided by The Nature Conservancy and our own knowledgeable volunteers, and we look forward to more partnerships with Utah State University, agriculture, and other conservation groups.”

 

Plans for the property include further studies on habitat richness, wildlife populations and weed control.

 

“One of our key objectives is to continue working with private landowners, especially our agricultural neighbors,” Grant said.

 

Bridgerland Audubon has been actively working with The Nature Conservancy to secure and protect these lands as habitat for birds and other wildlife, and has asked The Nature Conservancy to help them manage the property.

 

“This kind of riparian habitat is really very rare in the western United States, but it is rich in its wildlife values”, said Joan Degiorgio, Northern Rocky Mountains Regional Director for The Nature Conservancy. “Riparian zones are critical for 75 percent of Utah’s bird species, but account for less than one-quarter of one percent of the land in the Great Basin.”

 

Dean Brockbank, vice-president and general counsel for PacifiCorp Energy agreed. “As a public utility, our company explicitly includes environmental protection as part of our mission and we recognize that the Bear River Bottoms are a natural treasure,” Brockbank said. “However, we are limited in what we can do to enhance these kinds of lands if they aren’t directly tied to a hydroelectric project. That’s why we’re so excited about turning over management to a local conservation group like Bridgerland Audubon Society.

 

“We’ve had a great relationship with Bridgerland Audubon Society over the years and completed some wonderful projects for Cache Valley as a result. We’re really looking forward to working with them to try some new approaches along the Bear River,” added Eve Davies, principal scientist and Bear River Bottoms manager for PacifiCorp Energy.

 

Dave Rayfield, chairman of the Cache Critical Lands Task Force, praised Audubon.

 

“They’ve worked through all the details to make this easement possible, but we hope this is only the beginning of a concerted effort to protect the entire river corridor. This is one of many properties that are critical for Cache Valley’s future,” Rayfield said.

 

Bridgerland Audubon Society’s banquet is open to the public. Tickets are $25 and are available before April 19 from Caffé Ibis, Fuhriman’s Framing, Crumb Brothers Bakery, or Audubon board members.