Category Overview
The State Lands Restoration and Enhancement category provides funding to two state agencies to help repair damaged plant and animal habitat. These grants focus on resource preservation and protection of public lands. Projects in this category help bring important natural areas and resources back to their original functions by improving the self sustaining and ecological functionality of sites.
Project Highlights
The Washington Department of Natural Resources used this grant to restore approximately 252 acres of imperiled oak ecosystem in the Washougal Oaks Natural Area (NA) located in southeastern Clark County, Washington about 3 miles east of the town of Washougal, along Highway 14. This NA provides habitat for the rare small-flowered trillium, tall bugbane, slender-billed nuthatch and Larch mountain salamander. This project restored 25 acres of old fields cleared for agricultural use back to oak savannah. It also thinned conifer trees that were overtopping oaks in 70 acres of oak forest. This project also restored native forb and shrub communities using seed and cuttings collected from elsewhere on the site. Additionally, forty starling-proof bird houses were installed to enhance nesting options for the slender-billed nuthatch and other cavity nesting species.