- This 386-acre preserve protects two types of native shrub-grasslands that were once widespread in this portion of the Columbia Basin. Situated amid acres of cultivated farmland, this site provides native habitat for a myriad of birds and other wildlife associated with the shrub-steppe environment, such as sage thrashers and grasshopper sparrows. Seasonal ponds, very rare and easily-disturbed habitats, are also found on this site and support unusual plant and animal assemblages.