Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area

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.