In all of Oregon’s natural areas, this would be a first.
A proposed wildlife area in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon would be co-managed by state officials and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, giving both tribal members and the general public a new place to get out onto the land.
The proposed Qapqápa Wildlife Area (pronounced cop-COP-a), which means “place among the big cottonwoods,” would encompass 11,438 acres about 10 miles southwest of La Grande, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday. It would include 5.6 miles of the Grande Ronde River and 6 miles of Beaver Creek, which is spawning habitat for Chinook salmon, summer steelhead and bull trout. Under an agreement, the state agency would own the land, while the state and tribe would co-manage it.
The land would provide public access for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing, the fish and wildlife department said, and would be managed for fish and wildlife conservation, as well as for tribal first foods, which include salmon, deer, elk, roots and berries. It would also give the Umatilla tribe new access to lands it was required to cede under the Treaty of 1855.
“In a first ever for the State of Oregon, the Tribes and ODFW will co-manage the new wildlife area for the benefit of all,” Anton Chiono, habitat conservation project manager for the Umatilla tribe, said in a news release. “This is a terrific example of what Oregonians can accomplish by working together.”
A diverse group of stakeholders has been involved in getting the project off the ground, Chiono said, including the Oregon Department of Forestry, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Harry A. Merlo Foundation. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Forest Service awarded the Qapqápa Wildlife Area Forest Legacy Project $22 million.
The group of stakeholders is hoping to wrap up the land acquisition in 2026, with public access coming after, ODFW said.
“Qapqápa’s conservation values cannot be overstated, providing important habitat for imperiled fish populations, big game winter range and many other species of conservation concern,” ODFW director Debbie Colbert said in the news release. “ODFW and the Tribes will collaboratively manage the wildlife area, maintaining a working lands approach that benefits habitat, improves wildlife connectivity, and provides access to both the public and Tribal members to hunt, fish and view wildlife.”
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