Interior announces new wildlife refuge in Oregon

The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a new national wildlife refuge south of Portland, Oregon. The Willamette Valley Conservation Area is 600 acres of oak and prairie ecosystems that provide habitats for species like western monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) and dusky Canada geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis). The new area will form part of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a group of national wildlife refuges managed mostly for dusky Canada geese. A collaboration between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative helped create the new refuge. “It’s because of these partnerships that today we celebrate the new Willamette Valley Conservation Area, which will help support Oregon’s outdoor economy while protecting and restoring threatened and endangered species,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in a press release.

Read more at the U.S. Department of the Interior.