You can almost hear the applause of fancy fins flapping famously.
Salmon and steelhead in the Sandy River basin have 245 new acres of
protected habitat along Boulder Creek.

The Western Rivers Conservancy heralded the transfer of the land it
purchased from Clackamas County to the Bureau of Land Management last
month – property that is nestled in the sensitive and critical area considered
anchor habitat for threatened spring Chinook, winter steelhead and winter
coho.

“Acquiring this land is great news for the Sandy River fishery,” said Sue
Doroff, Western Rivers Conservancy’s Executive Vice President. “Boulder
Creek lies at the heart of the best salmon and steelhead habitat in the Sandy
Basin, and protecting it is vital for recovering wild salmon and steelhead in the
lower Columbia.”

Boulder Creek is a tributary of the Salmon River – and dumps into the Salmon
upstream from the confluence of the Sandy and Salmon rivers.

Western Rivers Conservancy has been acquiring lands within the Sandy River
basin since 1999 and has preserved more than 3,000 acres including 13 miles
on the Sandy River, Little Sandy River, Salmon River and other tributaries.
The BLM has taken title to all these lands, combining them with existing BLM
holdings to connect a larger 9,000 acre natural resource area that is greatly
expanding recreational opportunities in the basin.

Clackamas County is reinvesting the proceeds of the sales into future parks
and forest land acquisitions.

“This transaction helps to achieve the county’s goals for habitat and resource
protection, while also achieving the larger vision for creating scenic areas and
preserving recreation opportunities,” said Gary Barth, Clackamas County’s
Director of Business and Community Services. “The county has been the
steward of this land for the past 77 years, and we are happy to hand that
responsibility to the BLM for continued resource management.”

BLM District Manager Miles Brown lauded the work achieved by the combined
forces of local and federal government.

“This is an important step in a long-term conservation effort that the BLM is
committed to with our partners,” Brown said. “The results are good for the
river and good for the community.”

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Congressman Earl
Blumenauer played an essential role in securing $13.3 million in
appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Sandy
basin since 2001. With funding from the LWCF, Western Rivers Conservancy is
conveying Sandy River lands to the BLM to protect sensitive fish and wildlife
habitat as well as create a public resource for hikers, floaters, anglers and
other outdoor enthusiasts.