Category Overview
Conserving land along our waterways protects important habitat and helps keep our rivers healthy, clean, and more resilient to drought. Riparian Protection projects conserve and restore fresh and saltwater habitat while protecting fish habitat. In doing so, the grants help provide our families, farms, and fisheries with clean water across the state.
Project Highlights
Under this grant, WDFW acquired +/- 140 acres of Merrill Lake Phase 3 Property from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Cowlitz County (purchase and donation). Through other funding, WDFW purchased approximately +/- 298 acres in Phase 1 on December 29, 2015, 1,015 acres in Phase 2 on December 15, 2016, and acquired a donation of +/- 33 acres in Phase 3 on January 28, 2019. This transaction brought the total acreage acquired in all phases to approximately +/- 1,454 acres. Differences between the proposal and the grant outcomes included purchasing some of the acres during Phase 2 with RCO Grants 12-1135 and 14-1095. Due to this, WDFW did not require the entire grant budget to complete the Merrill Lake acquisition. Through this grant, WDFW also: – Treated 4 acres of noxious weeds – Posted 6 RCO acknowledgement signs and 1 kiosk – Placed barrier boulders