The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects - PacifiCorp

Saddle Dam Park—Interpretive Sign #2 (Natural History)
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Yale Park
TBD
A Homestead for Wildlife
The fields below Saddle Dam are part of the old Frasier homestead,
established in the late 1800s. Over the years, they have been pastures and
hayfields, and have grown crops such as potatoes and corn. Today,
PacifiCorp maintains these fields as part of Saddle Dam Farm—a
homestead for wildlife.
• Biologists keep the fields planted with a mixture of grasses and
clover, and monitor their composition. Clover provides proteins and
other nutrients that grass does not. When the percentage of clover in
the fields dips too low, the fields are tilled and re-seeded.
• Every year, in mid-August, the fields are mowed to provide a burst of
new growth just as the fall rains begin. This tender green growth is a
banquet for elk, giving them a burst of nourishment to help them
enter the lean months of winter in top condition.
• Three old orchards, maintained by PacifiCorp, provide fruit for elk,
deer, bears, and birds.
• The long, straight hedgerows you can see from the top of the dam are
not part of the original farm fields. These were planted by PacifiCorp
to provide cover for wildlife and to break up the line of sight between
pastures, allowing elk and deer to graze the fields without being
completely exposed.
• Perches and nest boxes along the hedgerows attract kestrels, redtailed
hawks and other raptors, which hunt the fields for rodents and
insects.
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A small perennial creek that flows along the western edge of the fields is
the site of a wetland-enhancement project. Several low dikes create a
series of small ponds, in which water levels can be controlled by gates.
These ponds help keep high-water events on the creek from eroding the
banks away. They also provide havens for frogs, salamanders, fish, and
waterfowl. Plantings of dogwood, willow, and other wetland shrubs
provide cover for animals and stabilize the banks, and nest boxes offer
shelter for wood ducks.
Photo or illustration of fenced tree
Beavers are present on this stream—and their voracious appetites for
willow and cottonwood mean that plantings must sometimes be
protected with wire fences!
Photos of wildlife at Saddle Dam Farm. Map or diagram of farm fields
showing bulleted features (orchards, hedgerows, etc). Illustration or
photo of wetlands.
Appendix 1: panel profiles Lewis River Draft I&E Plan page 31