Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

West Side Canal Project

Ducks Unlimited is assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in replacing a fish ladder and fish screen on the West Side Canal at Page Springs Dam. The project is located at the south end of the Blitzen Valley on Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The Page Springs dam is located about two miles from Frenchglen, Oregon. This water control structure is the main water delivery source for thousands of acres of wetland habitat in the Blitzen Valley. These wetlands provide breeding habitat to thousands of waterfowl every year, including mallards, gadwalls, teal, redheads, Canada geese, and northern shovelers. Refuge wetlands also provide critical migration habitat for hundreds of thousands of waterfowl that breed in more northern breeding habitats in Canada and Alaska. Due to concerns over redband trout populations in the Blitzen River, installing adequate fish protection and passage at this site was mandatory.