HBWC is working to restore and enhance healthy lands and water while nurturing an enduring rural way of life that supports and values wetland conservation in the Harney Basin. Malheur Lake and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have significance beyond the local area. This area has international significance for migratory birds and draws people from across the country. The following are the three outcomes HBWC is working to achieve.
Desired Outcomes
Malheur Lake at sunrise. Photograph by Jeremy Hill.
Revive Malheur Lake by improving water quality and restoring freshwater marshes. Restoring and sustaining Harney Basin wetland conditions and clear water habitat is the primary goal for Malheur Lake. Managing the nonnative common carp population, reintroduction of emergent vegetation and restoring marsh conditions are objectives that will help achieve this goal.
Wild flood irrigated wet meadow shared by sheep, snow geese and Canada geese. Photograph by local rancher and avid photographer Susan Doverspike
Conservation and maintenance of flood irrigated wet meadows through improved infrastructure and management. Success is based on private land practices that assure the maintenance or enhancement of wild flood-irrigation practices for the mutual benefit of ranchers' forage production and healthy habitat for migratory and resident birds.
High Desert Partnership community event at local cafe Bella Java. Photograph by Jeremy Hill.
Awareness, attention and trust from multiple audiences. Engaging the community with HBWC restoration and management efforts, both locally and beyond Harney County, will build greater awareness, garner attention, and deepen trust as audiences engage in this conservation journey. Growth in awareness, attention, and trust will also generate greater public support and social license for actions to revive Malheur Lake as management decisions are explored, tested, and implemented.
