The sun rises over the mountains on the Minam River. Completion of Phase 2 of the Minam River Wildlife Area is now within reach, thanks to the promised funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Legacy Program and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

ENTERPRISE — Nearly $20 million in federal money is being awarded to two projects in Oregon — including one in Wallowa County — the state’s two U.S. senators announced Monday, July 10.

The Minam Conservation and Connectivity project in Wallowa County and the Tualatin Mountain Forest project in Multnomah County will share $19,999,000 through the Forest Legacy Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a press release. These projects are intended to help conserve and manage economically and ecologically significant forestlands in Oregon.

“It’s great news that these two amazing Oregon sites will be protected thanks to the Forest Legacy Program,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Forest Service and a longtime supporter of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. “This funding to conserve Oregon’s valuable forests will help to ensure this land remains healthy, well managed, and accessible to Oregonians, visitors, and future generations.”

“Federal investment in managing forest health is a must for our state to lower wildfire danger and continue to protect our natural treasures,” said Sen. Ron Wyden. “I’m gratified to see these federal funds go toward economically and ecologically viable conservation in the Tualatin Mountain Forest project and along the Minam River.”

Of the nearly $20 million, not quite half ($9,754,000) will go to the second phase of the Minam Conservation and Connectivity Project ($460,000 of the money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act).

The project seeks to protect 10,964 acres of working forestland and a corridor along the Minam River.

This is the second phase of an acquisition project launched in 2021 by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Together, the two phases of the project will cover 15,573 acres and connect the nationally designated Minam and Wallowa Wild and Scenic River corridors.

The Forest Legacy Program is funded historically through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Through the Forest Legacy Program, the Forest Service partners with state agencies to encourage the protection of privately owned forestlands through conservation easements or land purchases. The awards coming to Oregon are part of a larger $188 million investment to conserve forestlands across the nation.

“This commitment of Forest Legacy funding is a vital step toward completion of a landmark conservation project that will conserve and protect habitat for elk, mule deer, fish, birds and other wildlife, while also providing access by hunters, anglers and others,” said Kyle Weaver, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO. “We would like to recognize our partners at Manulife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service as well as support from elected officials, both locally and in Congress, for making this conservation victory possible.”

The remainder of the money, about $10.2 million in Inflation Reduction Act money, will go to the Tualatin Mountain Forest Project in Multnomah County to establish a 3,111-acre working research forest to be owned by Oregon State University to pioneer climate-smart forestry methods.