STATE FUNDS: Rattlesnake Mtn. land in budget
OLYMPIA — Benton County might get $3.5 million in state money to buy land on Rattlesnake Mountain, the state announced.
The program was included in the state capital construction budget by the House of Representatives, which still needs approval from the Legislature and governor.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife would use the money to buy about 13,400 acres of elk and mule deer habitat on the mountain. The additional land would help protect wildlife corridors and buffer sensitive areas on the mountain’s north side. Preservation of the land also would prevent development of wind turbines, vineyards and housing on land where endangered ferruginous hawks live.
The grant comes from a $50 million pot for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which funds wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation projects around the state.
