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
The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) seeks to acquire a perpetual conservation easement on the 3,040+ acre Kane Ranch located in the Badger Mountain area, east of East Wenatchee, WA. The Ranch is within the Working Lands for Wildlife focus area for state endangered Greater Sage- grouse. This property is an integral piece in the habitat protections and investments already put in place on neighboring properties: CDLT holds conservation easements on the 2500 acre Breiler Ranch and the 6700 acre Keane Ranch adjacent to the south; BLM hold 10,000 acres adjacent the east, which adjoins The Nature Conservancy’s 30,000 preserve. This property is critical habitat for the entirety of sage-grouse life cycle including mating, nesting, brood rearing, summer and winter habitat. The 2020 Pearl Hill Fire burned over 50% of all known sage- grouse leks within Douglas County and over 40% of all existing habitat. Badger Mountain now contains the state’s largest known active lek. Sage-grouse rely on large intact landscapes of shrub steppe habitat, largely tied to private lands and rural agriculture. Easements such as the Kane Ranch are critical to maintain wildlife habitat with monitored, compatible ranching.