The newly-certified Wapato Valley Mitigation and Conservation Bank will, over the next several years, convert several hundred acres of the farm from pasture to wetlands, restoring salmon habitat and more natural water movements across the farm. Additionally, an Oregon White Oak restoration bank, located on the farm’s basalt uplands, will preserve and enhance several hundred acres of critical oak savannah habitat.
An immense amount of scientific data has been amassed to attain certification for the conservation bank, and plan for construction of restored and enhanced habitat and wetlands. Every plant, animal, soil type, and stream bed has been recorded and analysed.
From the work of boots on the ground field biologists to high tech work by LIDAR and GIS technicians, an amazing array of brains and technology have worked on this project over the past decade; it has been an incredible collaboration.