Native grasslands are the most imperiled habitats in western North America. It is a habitat type that is disappearing rapidly globally. Grasslands are a Strategy Habitat in the Blue Mountains ecoregion, and are vanishing across Oregon as they continue to be converted for agricultural uses and urbanization.
Zumwalt Prairie is North America’s largest remaining grassland of its type: bunchgrass prairie including Idaho Fescue Festuca idahoensis, Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoregnaria spicata, Sandberg’s Bluegrass (Poa secunda) and many species of wildflowers. These grasslands once covered a vast area west of the Rocky Mountains, and included portions of southern British Columbia and Alberta, eastern Oregon and Washington, Northern Idaho, and Western Montana. Zumwalt Prairie is located in Wallowa County in northeast Oregon, this grassland once covered approximately 300,000 acres, of which approximately 20% has since been converted to crop agriculture. The prairie once part of the homeland of the Joseph Band of the Nez Perce people, this area now is used for growing wheat and as spring/summer, and fall range for beef cattle. Despite centuries of human use, Zumwalt Prairie continues to provide a habitat for many of the rare plants, wildlife and invertebrates that have survived there for millennia.
In 2000, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased 27,000 acres of the Zumwalt Prairie, the largest Oregon acquisition in the TNC’s history. In 2006, TNC added a further 6,065 acres, making the 51-square-mile preserve Oregon’s biggest private nature sanctuary.
Since acquisition, the TNC has been engaged in surveys, monitoring and research the animal and plant communities. A priority is managing, and where possible, eliminating damaging non-native invasive plant species such as sulfur cinquefoil, meadow hawkweed and common bugloss. The use or prescribed fire and carefully managing grazing by domestic livestock are being employed to preserve and restore wildlife diversity. TNC has been working in partnership with other neighboring landowners to improve the ecological health across the landscape. The U.S. Department of the Interior has designated 4,400 acres of Zumwalt Prairie Preserve as a National Natural Landmark.