Statement on Qapqápa Wildlife Area Acquisition from ODFW and CTUIR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)

 

 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) regret to announce that the Qapqápa (pronounced cop-COP-a) Wildlife Area Acquisition has stalled.

 

 

The effort was led by a diverse coalition of stakeholders including the CTUIR, ODFW, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The project attempted to bring 11,438 acres of private timber land into public ownership, creating a new wildlife area to be owned by ODFW and jointly managed with the CTUIR.

 

Located about 10 miles southwest of La Grande in the Blue Mountains, Qapqápa would have connected existing portions of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The property provides vital migration routes for elk and mule deer in one of eastern Oregon's most productive big game units, and its waters provide habitat for bull trout, Chinook salmon and steelhead. The acquisition would have permanently conserved these important resources and provided public access for future generations. It also would have restored the Tribes' access to multiple sites of critical cultural and historic importance for CTUIR.

 

Our organizations remain grateful to the elected officials, community members, and agency partners whose overwhelming support made this effort the top-ranked project in nation. While it is with heartfelt regret that we share this news, we remain committed to pursuing opportunities—here or elsewhere—that benefit wildlife, habitat, and public access.