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 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will use this grant to acquire 3,848 acres to conserve habitat for steelhead, Chinook salmon, western gray squirrels, mule deer, burrowing owls, and western toads. The property is a portion of the 22,000 acres on the Simcoe Mountains and located off of Box Canyon Road approximately 10 miles northeast of Goldendale in Klickitat County. The land includes forests, shrub steppe, grasslands, cliffs, and 10 miles of shoreline along upper Rock Creek and its tributaries. The purchase will protect habitat connections from the Columbia River to the Cascade Mountains and will open the land for quality recreation (hiking, fishing, and hunting), currently unavailable in this area.