Stand along the Columbia River just past its confluence with the Methow, and you’ll feel it – the pulse of a landscape alive with grasses, shrubs, and birdsong. This is the Methow Rapids Natural Area Preserve (NAP), a place where Washington’s rare shrub-steppe habitat thrives thanks to two WWRP – Natural Areas grants and the stewardship of DNR.

Methow Rapids is home to some of the last and largest intact shrub-steppe in the entire state. Among the rolling plains of the Natural Area Preserve are two grassland species so rare they exist in only a handful of places in Washington:

• Antelope bitterbrush / bluebunch wheatgrass – the largest remaining intact population in the entire state is found at Methow Rapids.
  
• Smooth sumac / bunchgrass – of just three intact populations left statewide, the Methow Rapids NAP protects the biggest.

These plants are more than just beautiful – they’re the foundation of an entire ecosystem. They support birds like the sage thrasher and loggerhead shrike, both state candidates for protection, along with countless other species that depend on tall, dense shrubs and native grasses for survival.

Methow Rapids is also a place for people. Visitors can hike, walk the open landscape, watch for wildlife, and enjoy some of the best birdwatching in the region. Every visit is a reminder of why places like this matter.

How a WWRP Grant Brought a Shrub-Steppe Ecosystem to Life

Washington is changing quickly. New homes, roads, and developments are reshaping the landscape. At the same time, ecosystems that once stretched for miles – like shrub-steppe – are disappearing. The WWRP – Natural Areas grant category helps protect what remains. These grants preserve the rarest ecosystems and wildlife habitats in Washington, while still making space for people to explore, learn, and connect with the land.

Methow Rapids is an example of this work in action. Recognizing the urgent need to protect intact shrub-steppe habitat, the DNR used a $329,167 WWRP – Natural Areas grant to expand the existing Methow Rapids NAP back in 2012. At the time, more than half of Washington’s shrub-steppe had already been lost, making this expansion a critical step toward safeguarding what remained.

That project laid the foundation for something bigger: a vision of Methow Rapids as a connected, resilient preserve along the Columbia River.

The 2020 Expansion – Looking Ahead

Building on that success, DNR returned in 2020 with an even more ambitious goal: to protect 569 more acres of shrub-steppe at Methow Rapids. Backed by a $2.59 million WWRP Natural Areas grant, this project expands the preserve dramatically and ensures its long-term viability.

This expansion does more than secure habitat: it also improves public access, making it easier for visitors to experience the shrub-steppe firsthand. The project will create new opportunities for environmental education and research, giving students, scientists, and everyday Washingtonians the chance to learn from this living landscape.

The project is expected to be finished in 2026, but the benefits are already clear: a stronger, larger natural preserve that will endure for generations.

The Methow Rapids Natural Area Preserve lies on the ancestral lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Okanogan, Methow, and Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples, who have stewarded these landscapes since time immemorial. The Coalition recognizes and honors their enduring connection to this region.