In a move that will protect important ecosystems and wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced the newest addition to its national wildlife refuge system — the Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon.
KEZI 9 News reported on this newly protected area, which spans 600 acres in the Diamond Hill wetlands about 90 miles south of Portland and protects oak and prairie habitat.
Endangered and threatened species, including the Western monarch butterfly, Western meadowlark, and Oregon white oak, depend on this ecosystem.
The USFWS first began collaborating with local conservationists in 2014 to identify habitats in the Willamette Valley that needed protection.
Over the last decade, the department has worked with stakeholders, such as the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative, and private landowners to help establish the conservation area.
Protecting ecosystems like the Willamette Valley Conservation Area can have cascading effects for humans.
Such conservation efforts safeguard butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. In turn, those pollinators help supply us with food — about one out of every three bites we eat is available to us thanks to our pollinator friends, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Prairie soil stores planet-warming carbon as well, which helps us in the fight against rising global temperatures.
This is just one of many campaigns across the globe that seek to preserve or restore Mother Nature. For instance, the U.S. military is joining forces with conservationists to safeguard over 2.7 million acres of land as part of Utah's newly designated Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape.
In Spain, the government is allocating about $1.5 billion to protect Doñana National Park from intensifying drought.
Oregon's new wildlife refuge is part of a nationwide effort to conserve lands and waters through the America the Beautiful Initiative, per KEZI 9 News.
"The National Wildlife Refuge System plays an invaluable role in providing vital landscapes for wildlife species, offering outdoor recreation and bolstering climate resilience across the country," Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. "In communities across the nation, the Biden-Harris administration is investing resources and bringing together local, state, Tribal, and conservation partners to protect treasured outdoor spaces for current and future generations to enjoy."
USFWS Director Martha Williams added that the newly created refuge "is the result of robust relationships that are coming together for the benefit of people and wildlife. It's because of these partnerships that today we celebrate the new Willamette Valley Conservation Area, which will help support Oregon's outdoor economy while protecting and restoring threatened and endangered species."
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