Wildlife Programs
The Priest Rapids Project is home to a variety of native amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The riparian habitats (green, vegetated areas on each side of streams and rivers) found in the Project vicinity provide a valuable and otherwise scarce resource, much of which would be absent without continued operation of the Project. These habitats are used by more than 61 different animal species documented in the Project area.
Big game species include mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk and California bighorn sheep, which are commonly seen on the west side of the Wanapum reservoir. Several waterfowl migration corridors cross the Columbia Basin, resulting in a large number of bird species using the Columbia River and nearby lakes and ponds in the region as stopover habitat. In addition to common waterfowl such as mergansers and geese, a large number of water birds can also be observed in the Project vicinity, including loons, cormorants and great blue heron. Upland game fowl prevalent in this area include chukar and California quail. Birds of prey common to the Project vicinity are red-tailed hawks, golden eagles and great-horned owls. |
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