About Us
Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area is an unstaffed station with minimal management. Located 10 miles north of Preston, Idaho, abutting the small town of Oxford in the Cache Valley, Oxford Slough is the drainage for Oxford and Deep Creeks, as well as other streams and creeks in the surrounding mountain ranges. Some of the upland areas have alkaline soils, covered with native grasses and shrubs; these areas are not grazed or managed.
Several native grass hayfields, and irrigated alfalfa fields are hayed to provide short grass feeding areas for geese and cranes. Some dry land cropland has been seeded to dense nesting cover and some is still cooperatively farmed. Part of the marsh is still in private ownership, so no water management is done. The marsh is allowed to fluctuate naturally; in drought years, it dries out.
The WPA provides valuable foraging habitat for species such as cranes, geese, Franklin's gulls, and white-faced ibis, as well as nesting habitat for many shorebird species.
There are no staff on site; the WPA is managed as part of the Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex. For long-range Comprehensive Conservation Planning (CCP) purposes, the WPA is included in the Bear Lake NWR planning process.
Our Mission
The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants.
Our History
Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area is located in both Franklin and Bannock counties. It was originally purchased to protect redhead duck nesting habitat. The area is largely hardstem bulrush marsh, interspersed with open water and surrounded by areas of playa, saltgrass flats, native wet meadow, and some cropland. The lower areas have visible alkali deposits. The marsh is fed on the north and drained at the south by Deep Creek. A smaller creek and several springs feed the marsh from the west.
Attempts to drain it in the 1950s were marginally successful; the drainage ditches still exist but have mostly filled in. The native pasture is no longer grazed. Most of the meadows are hayed to provide short grass feeding areas for geese and cranes. Most of the dry cropland has been converted to dense nesting cover. The irrigated cropland is used for small grains under a cooperative farming agreement; a portion of the crop is left each year for wildlife.
Other Facilities in this Complex
Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area is part of the Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
The Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex administers six refuges within the National Wildlife Refuge System: Bear Lake, Camas, Deer Flat, Grays Lake, and Minidoka National Wildlife Refuges, and Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area. The Complex office is located in Chubbuck, Idaho.
Contact Information
4425 Burley Drive Suite A,
Chubbuck, ID 83202
208-237-6615
Learn more about our other Complex facilities:
