Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho.
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.
Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production area is just east of the village of Oxford. Turn off Route 91 about 2 miles north of the village of Swan Lake onto Road D1, continue south until the village of Oxford. Go into Oxford and take the small bypass road on the east side of town. Turn east just north of town, onto a gravel road that skirts the north edge of the waterfowl production area. About three-quarters of a mile east of this intersection, the access road turns toward the marsh. There is a small parking lot. This road may not be obvious or may be overgrown with vegetation. It is not advisable to try this road during wet weather or when the frost is leaving the ground in spring.