Category Overview
Critical Habitat projects are our state’s primary tool for conserving important fish and wildlife habitat. These projects protect the rich and diverse habitats in our forests, prairies, and wetlands. These funds help maintain our state’s biodiversity and protect species that are popular for hunting, birding, and other outdoor recreation, and are critical for the health of our salmon and fish populations.
Project Highlights
With support from this award, WDFW purchased 338.92 acres from Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) in February 2023. WRC purchased the property from a private landowner in July 2022. WDFW originally planned to acquire more than 700 acres with this award. WRC completed an appraisal of the entire 700+ acre property, which returned an appraised value of nearly $3M. That appraised value exceeded the funds available in this award. WDFW acquired the roughly southern half of the property with funds from this award and the northern half transferred from WRC to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. This allowed the Colville Tribe to secure ownership of culturally significant areas on the northern portion and acquired property adjacent to their other land holdings. After acquisition, WDFW completed boundary fencing of the parcel connect to the public road. WDFW surveyed the entire property for noxious weeds and, in the process, treated approximately 60 acres of weeds using backpack sprayers for spot treatment.