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The total scope of this project is over 90,000 acres. SBPF along with the Owen Denny PF Chapter are cooperating with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) providing funding at $5,000.00 per year for two years for upland bird habitat restoration along the Butter Creek drainage. Most of our contribution to this project will be monetary. In the spring of 2000 we will install four water guzzlers on the project.
Update:

On Saturday August 5th, 2000 we set out once again to tackle another upland bird habitat project, this time on the Butter Creek Project. This $5,000.00 project actually took lots of planning and time to accomplish. I would like to thank Ray Denny and Chet Hadley of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Karl Jensen a landowner on the project for the use of his shop for the potluck and all his cooperation, the Owen Denny Chapter for their generous $2,500.00 donation and muscle to the project, the Tri-County Chapter for their strong backs and support and finally the Sage Basin Chapter Members for contributing $2,500.00 to the project and showing up to prove that a little hard work can be very rewarding and worthwhile.

The project consisted of installing five upland bird water guzzlers on three of the five cooperating ranches. One guzzler was installed on the Les Owens Ranch (Karl Jensen), two were installed on the Cunningham Ranch (Steve Corey) and two more were installed on the Waite Ranch (Mike Warn). A water guzzler consists of a 500-gallon cistern and lid with bird ramp and a corrugated 8’X8’ “rain catcher” cover. A guzzler is self-sustaining and will completely fill itself with water over a 3-year period in areas receiving no more than 8” of rainfall annually.

The real work begins when the crew has to dig the 6’X6’ hole 27” deep to accommodate the 500 gallon cistern. Some of the volunteers had placed water guzzlers on previous projects where the digging was relatively easy. But the Butter Creek area would prove much more difficult with 80% rocks and 20% dirt. The pick became a very important and by the end of the installation most hated tool. Most guzzlers can be installed in about an hour and a half where this job took more like three hours per guzzler. For this reason we broke up our 32 person volunteer crew into five groups that headed off literally into the wild blue yonder to install the guzzlers (it took my group 45 minutes just to reach our guzzler site). Oh, did I mention the fire danger involved. Every crew had to be very careful of fire with everything being as dry as a tinderbox. We all carried water and trampled down a spot for our rigs to park during the installation. (As I write this, the South side of the Butter Creek area is on fire with at least 40,000 acres burned) (Most of the guzzlers were installed on the North side).

After all the crews returned we sat down to a potluck at Karl Jensen’s shop. Then it was off to the ODF&W sporting clays trailer to show off our wing shooting ability or in my case the lack of.

The scope of this project is 5+ acres. One acre of woody cover and 4+ acres of nesting cover along with a filter strip of grass/legume mix. This project was 100 % funded by SBPF with all labor being provided by the landowner. This project is located near Adams, Oregon.
Update:

This is a 0.2 acre field border project approximately 1,320 feet in length. SBPF provided 100 % of the funding to purchase 240 shrubs and a grass/legume seed mix. The landowner was responsible for all labor costs. This project is located south of McNary, Oregon.
Update:

SBPF Chapter has completed three habitat projects on the Goodwin Ranch. First we provided funding to purchase 600 Basin Wild Rye Plugs, 169 Woods Rose, 60 Wax Current, 48 Douglas Hawthorne, 60 Blue Elderberry, 93 Snowberry, 20 Red Osier and 105 Clematis. David Goodwin would plant the seedlings over a 15 acre area.

Second we provided funding for David to purchase a Tall Wheatgrass, Sherman Big Blue & Magnar Basin Wildrye mix to be planted over a 60 acre parcel. Even though it was a very dry growing season most of the seed germinated and is doing fine and will provide excellent nesting cover for the spring of 2000.

Third we obtained a water guzzler from the ODF&W and installed it in a water critical area on the ranch. David will charge the guzzler with water so it will be readily available for the upland birds.
Update:

To top off last years grass seeding project we added on 500-gallon upland bird water guzzler to a water critical location on the ranch. The guzzler was installed in a filter strip area between acres and acres of rolling wheat fields. The established guzzler will provide much needed water for upland birds in a one-mile radius.

In the fall of 1999 we provided funding for grass seed in cooperation with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and David Goodwin. The 8 acres planted will provide much needed nesting cover.

The total scope of this project is 12,500 acres. The Wolfe project is located about 5 miles southwest of Pendleton, Oregon. The SBPF Chapter was very helpful in the approval phase of this project by meeting with the State Access & Habitat Board and telling them the importance of such a project to the areas upland bird population and also creating more hunting opportunities for Oregonians.

In cooperation with the ODF&W both the Owen Denny and Sage Basin PF Chapters provided $4,950.12 to be used for the purchase of Secar Bluebunch Wheatgrass seed that was planted by the landowner. In August, the Sage Basin, Owen Denny and Tri-County PF Chapters installed six water guzzlers throughout the ranch. More water guzzlers will be needed in the future and four are planned for installation in the year 2000. In October, SBPF helped the ODF&W sign the RHA boundary so hunters utilizing the property would not stray on to posted land.
Update:

In August of 1999 we installed 5 guzzlers to this A & H project. This project was done in cooperation with our chapter, Owen Denny PF Chapter, Tri-County PF Chapter and the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (ODF&W). The Wolfe Ranch is located SW of Pendleton and is lucky if it received 8” of rainfall annually. This 12,500-acre ranch will be on the waiting list for additional guzzlers.

Just before the start of the 1999 upland bird season Mark Kirsch, Dave Harcombe, Jim Lunders and Greg Barron set out with packhorses and signed the entire Wolfe Ranch RHA with boundary signs. Each participant put on at least 8 to 10 miles that day.

S & M FARMING CO. PROJECT

This project involved several volunteers from our chapter, Tri-County PF Chapter and S & M Farming Co. family members. We planted our trees and shrubs in a 27.3-acre area on both sides of Gerking Creek.

This parcel of land was difficult to farm so S & M Farming Co. decided to put it into CRP and enhance the land for upland bird habitat and stream bank stabilization. The area naturally subs so moisture would not be a problem.

The Irrigon Wildlife Area managed by the ODF&W has no shortage of cover and vegetation. The only problem is the woody cover isn’t the most desirable. The IWA is choked with large patches of Russian Olive Trees. Russian Olive Trees provide cover but little else.

These trees are known as an invader species not native to Oregon and they spread like wildfire. Also, the tree does not come under attack by predator insects so they provide very little insect production for pheasant and quail chicks.

Earlier this spring our chapter volunteers helped the CTUIR finish a large fencing project located on the south boundary of the Wanaket Wildlife Area (WWA). The new fencing, ¾ of a mile in length, replaces an older fence and provides a buffer between the WWA and neighboring cattle ranches. The CTUIR and our chapter are excited about working in cooperation on future projects that will benefit upland birds.

At Present:

To date the Sage Basin PF Chapter has provided habitat enhancement on over 82,021 acres. Remember, this does not even take into consideration impact acres. Not bad for a Pheasants Forever chapter that has only been in existence for the past 3 years. Every habitat project we do large or small puts birds out there; lets keep up our efforts because the future of pheasants and other upland birds depends upon it.