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
Columbia Land Trust used this grant to protect 3,095 acres along Pine Creek, a tributary of the Lewis River. This project included the purchase of a conservation easement on 2,885 acres and fee simple ownership of 210 acres. Pine Creek has one of only three remaining spawning populations of endangered bull trout in the Lewis River system where recovery efforts seek to have at least eight. The primary threat to the Pine Creek watershed is subdivision and development. This proposal was the third phase of a multi-year project to create a system of protected riparian, forest and riverine habitat from Mt. St. Helen to the Lewis River.