PacifiCorp Protects 5,000 Acres of Wild Habitat Near Hydropower Facilities
When PacifiCorp created the reservoirs associated with the Merwin, Yale and Swift dams along the north fork of the Lewis River in Washington, more than 12,000 acres of wildlife habitat was lost. Though the utility had already committed to protecting and managing 10,000 acres of land surrounding its facility, Portland-based PacifiCorp wanted to step up protection efforts.
It all started in 2003 when the utility sat down with community stakeholders to determine a plan to relicense the dams, which were built on the Lewis River about 50 miles north of Portland between 1930 and 1960.
“The general philosophy we take is to sit down and work with stakeholders early in the relicensing process to identify hydro impacts and then work to address the impacts in a balanced manner,” says Todd Olson, PacifiCorp’s Director of Compliance. “The best way to do that is to engage stakeholders, including the local Native American tribes, fishing and hunting interest groups, and fish and wildlife agencies. Our goal was to find a solution that works for all parties.”
Stakeholders requested PacifiCorp increase the amount of protected area around its facilities. The team came up with a collaborative plan that was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and included the acquisition and management of additional land. As part of the relicensing agreement, the utility created the Lewis River Wildlife Habitat Management Plan (WHMP) to strategically manage the increased acreage.
To acquire the additional land, the utility established three funds. The $2.5 million Yale Fund was required to provide movement corridors for elk, protect more than 650 acres of nearby winter range, and provide approximately 100 acres of land to maintain or cultivate forage for elk.
The $7.5 million Swift Fund aimed to increase land holdings surrounding the Swift Reservoir. The $2.2 million Lewis River Fund was to be used for acquisition, restoration and enhancement of land anywhere in the north fork of the Lewis River basin. In total, the funds were paid in disbursements over nine years.
Though funds were developed, acquisition proved to be challenging. In 2009, the Pacific Northwest real estate market was at an all-time high, so PacifiCorp needed to compete with developers for available properties.
In addition, because the funds were available over nine years, PacifiCorp often needed to negotiate land sales before money was available, which required developing letters of intent and agreements years before the transaction would be complete. To complete these efforts, PacifiCorp teamed up with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, an ongoing partnership that has led to five land acquisitions.
The first acquisition was made in 2009 and included 55 acres of meadow habitat from a local community member. That sale resulted in other interested sellers in the area, allowing PacifiCorp to purchase a 400-acre parcel near Yale Dam and a 640-acre parcel near Swift Reservoir. These purchases also led to the purchase of an additional 2,110 acres in 2012 and 1,880 acres in 2017.
After five years of negotiations, PacifiCorp and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked together to acquire 5,000 acres resulting in 15,162 total acres of wildlife mitigation lands in the Lewis River basin. “The dams had inundated about 12,000 acres of land,” says Kendel Emmerson, Senior Environmental Scientist for PacifiCorp. “We’ve exceeded that inundation and given back to Washington what we had removed by the water.”
As a result, PacifiCorp-, state- and federally owned lands provide an almost contiguous block of connected wildlife habitat.
“If someone were to ask me to point to a collaborative process that had significant positive results for wildlife habitat at the terrestrial level, I can think of no better example than the work led by PacifiCorp in the Lewis River basin,” says Erik White, Wildlife Program Manager of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. “The synergy observed between the partners in the planning process (and the results they have achieved up to this point) are second to none. The latest acquisition of large parcels of land, for terrestrial habitat restoration, was exceptional.”
The National Hydropower Association also recognized the long-term efforts to protect lands around PacifiCorp’s hydro facilities. NHA awarded the utility with a 2018 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Recreational, Environmental, & Historical Enhancement Award.
“PacifiCorp went above and beyond to protect the habitat around its hydropower facilities,” Linda Church Ciocci, NHA Executive Director. “The utility’s relationship with local government and private organizations provides a great example of community members working together for the greater environmental good.”
