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
Under this grant WDFW acquired a total of +/- 274.1 acres of the Brain Property in Kittitas County on June 11, 2021. Heart of Cascades 2016, South Fork Manastash Grant #16-1343A also contributed toward the acquisition for a total of +/- 317.7 acres. This property includes nearly a mile of Taneum Creek shoreline and more than two miles of tributary streams. Bisected by Taneum Creek, the property lies at the transition of mixed forest and shrub steppe and contains a strong suite of habitats like creek shoreline, wetlands, shrub steppe, cliffs, caves, snags, and talus. The property is now protected for species like Coho and Chinook salmon, Columbia spotted frog, sharp-tailed snakes, golden eagle, elk, mule deer, and historic western gray squirrel. Differences between the proposal and the grant outcomes included the property being valued higher than expected, which led to WDFW amending in funding to South Fork Manastash Grant #16-1343A. All post closing activities, like demolition, fencing, and noxious weed control, will be conducted under Heart of Cascades 2016 #16-1343A. Other differences included purchasing buildings to benefit the riparian restoration and eliminating private ownership within the riparian corridor. Due to this, relocation and demolition costs were added to the Heart of Cascades 2016 grant. Amendments to this grant included four time extensions: Amendment #1 – 1 year time extension Amendment #2 – 1 year time extension Amendment #3 – 6 month time extension Amendment #4 – 6 month time extension Amendment #5 – 2 month time extension