WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Blue Mountain Land Trust, a local nonprofit, recently acquired a conservation easement on 6,798 acres in Oregon, doubling the agency’s protected acreage across Southeastern Washington and Eastern Oregon.

The Land Trust, aimed at protecting fish and wildlife habitat, forests, grasslands and agricultural land in the Blue Mountains by collaborating with communities and landowners, purchased the Wheeler County easement in December 2020 from Terry and Peggy Long.

The now-protected acreage will provide protection and preserve the habitat for elk, mule deer, upland birds and other wildlife in the area and will reduce the threat of development that could disrupt the area’s habitat and geologic features, the Land Trust announced last week.

The property is in Mitchell, adjacent to the Painted Hills National Monument, the release stated.

“When we purchased the property, it was evident that it had been overgrazed, and Bear Creek had very little cover or riparian vegetation,” Peggy Long said. “We immediately started working on improving the land and bringing it back to a level that would sustain agriculture and fish and wildlife habitat.”

The acquisition took more than three years. Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and Natural Resources Conservation Service are the project funders working with the Blue Mountain Land Trust, the release stated.

“The property will continue to be grazed, and 55 acres of crops will be grown while the rangeland and riparian areas are managed for ecological outcomes,” the release stated.

The property contains 3.1 miles of Bear Creek, an Endangered Species Act-listed salmon, and steelhead spawning stream. Restoration efforts have been underway by the property owners, working with other partners, such as The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District.

“Once we learned about the working lands conservation easement, we realized that this was a perfect way to protect our improvements and ensure good stewardship of the land into the future,” Terry Long said.

“Protecting this land from development or fragmentation allows future generations the ability to continue farming and to enjoy the wonderful natural resources.”