Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area
| Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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Prairie falcon at the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area
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| Location | Ada, Canyon Elmore, and Owyhee counties, Idaho, United States |
| Nearest city | Boise, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43°17′00″N 116°12′00″W / 43.283333°N 116.2°WCoordinates: 43°17′00″N 116°12′00″W / 43.283333°N 116.2°W |
| Area | 484,873 acres (1,962.21 km2) |
| Established | 1993 |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management |
| http://www.birdsofprey.blm.gov/ | |
The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area has one of the densest populations of nesting raptors. The National Conservation Area (NCA) is located 35 miles (56 km) south of Boise, Idaho along 81 miles (130 km) of the Snake River, and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The NCA covers 484,873 acres (1,962.21 km2). In descending order of land area it is located in Ada, Elmore, Owyhee, and Canyon counties.
Section 2301 of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, section 2301 renamed the area as the Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in recognition of the contributions of Morley Nelson, a raptor expert and advocate and a leading proponent of the original creation of the National Conservation Area.
About 14,000 years ago, as glaciers receded from the last ice age, the 20,000-square-mile (52,000 km2) Lake Bonneville crested at Red Rock Pass, Idaho, creating what is known as the Bonneville Flood. As soft soils eroded at the pass, the lake poured into the volcanic plain of the Snake River and its canyons. Today, visitors to the Snake River area can explore the house-size boulders, box canyons, and other evidence left behind by the tremendous flood. At Swan Falls (now Swan Falls Dam), peak discharge of the flood was an astounding 33 million cubic feet/second.
In the Snake River ecosystem, a unique combination of climate geology, soils, and vegetation supports extraordinary numbers of predators and prey. More than 700 pairs of raptors, representing 15 different species, nest on the high canyon walls. Nine additional raptor species use the Snake River area as seasonal hunting grounds during migrations or as wintering areas. Birds of Prey NCA is particularly important for prairie falcons, North America's only indigenous falcon. The area is home to a significant portion of the species' known population.
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