Protecting Land on the West's Outstanding Rivers

With backing from GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is permanently protecting land along outstanding rivers across the western United States. Your gift supports the core costs of purchasing and conserving land for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Your contribution is dedicated to such efforts as preserving salmon and wildlife habitat, and creating new hiking trails, boating access and recreational opportunities.

Thanks to your support, Western Rivers Conservancy is:     

• Conserving a Life Source for Washington’s Willapa Bay

• Saving Meadows and Creeks for Montana’s Big Hole River

 Washington’s Bear River and Willapa Bay:   

Visiting the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is like stepping back in time. Temperate rainforests, endless tidal mudflats and freshwater streams exist in near pristine harmony, just as they always have, pulsing with the rhythm of the tides, the salmon returns and seasonal migrations of millions of ducks, geese and shorebirds. The second largest estuary on the West Coast, Willapa Bay is one of the Pacific Northwest’s lesser-known treasures. It is home to abundant plant and animal life, from the tiny Van Dyke’s salamander to black bear, Roosevelt elk and everything in between. And it’s a cherished destination for countless Washingtonians.

The Willapa NWR was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 to protect Willapa Bay’s fragile estuarine habitat, and it was a tremendous achievement for conservation. But nearly a century later, there’s important work to do to protect the lifeblood of the bay: the rivers that feed it.

On that front, Western Rivers Conservancy has signed an agreement to purchase the 2,366-acre Willapa Coastal Forest property, a privately owned parcel within the boundaries of the refuge that includes three miles of the Bear River and over 30 miles of perennial and intermittent streams. While working to acquire the property, we are pursuing state and federal funding, which will allow us to add this special landscape to the Willapa NWR and permanently protect more than 3.75 square miles of coastal forest and wetlands.

The Bear River watershed, although heavily logged in its upper reaches, continues to support spawning salmonids. Our efforts will benefit populations of chum, fall Chinook, coho, steelhead, Pacific lamprey and sea-run cutthroat trout that enter the Bear River system. We will also set up an important tract of forest (a mix of western red cedar, Douglas fir, western hemlock and rare stands of old growth) for transition to mature forest and permanent protection.

The Willapa Coastal Forest provides habitat for Roosevelt elk, the elusive Columbian black-tailed deer and endangered marbled murrelet. For over a century, much of the property has been managed as industrial timberland. Our work will enable the US Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct habitat recovery and prioritize fish, wildlife, mature forests and a fully functioning river system.

Adding this special property to the Willapa NWR will also create new recreation opportunities in an area that is popular for boating, hiking, birdwatching, hunting, shellfish harvesting and camping.

Now that we’ve signed an agreement to purchase the Willapa Coastal Forest property, the hard work of buying it, securing funding and, ultimately, transferring the property to the US Fish and Wildlife Service begins. With this first step complete, we are on our way toward improving the health, resiliency and accessibility of one of Washington’s great natural treasures.

Montana’s Big Hole River:     

In Montana’s upper Big Hole Valley, WRC purchased a rare private inholding within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The 317-acre property, called Clemow Cow Camp, is a beautiful expanse of wetlands graced by two high-mountain streams, Cox and Old Tim creeks, which flow into Warm Springs Creek, a tributary to the Big Hole.

Remote and pristine, Clemow Cow Camp includes 154 acres of riparian wetlands that waterfowl and shorebirds depend on, as well as top-notch habitat for grizzly bear and Canada lynx (both threatened species). Cox and Old Tim creeks are home to mountain whitefish (a species of state concern) and westslope cutthroat trout. WRC purchased the property in August 2022 and intends to convey it to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest for permanent protection.

Our efforts will secure 2.77 CFS of water rights, which the Forest Service will use to reinvigorate the property’s critically important meadows. This builds on WRC’s work on the Wise River, a major Big Hole tributary, where we are also using water rights to irrigate wet meadows and place water in-stream, an innovative two-pronged approach that ensures fish have cold water when they need it most.

For recreationists, Clemow Cow Camp serves as an entry point into the adjacent 148,150-acre West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area, the largest remaining roadless area in southwest Montana. With water, habitat and recreation all being delivered, our conservation efforts will notch a victory for fish, wildlife and the health of the greater Big Hole Valley.

Conclusion

The Willapa and Big Hole projects are just some of our recent projects. WRC currently has over two dozen active projects in seven states. With the support of GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is expanding our efforts to protect riverlands for fish, wildlife and people.

We love to hear from our supporters. Please contact Anne Tattam at 503-241-0151, ext. 219 (or atattam@westernrivers.org) for further information. Thank you.

• Western Rivers Conservancy: Project Photos (PDF)
  

With backing from GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is permanently protecting land along outstanding rivers across the western United States. Your gift supports the core costs of purchasing and conserving land for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Your contribution is dedicated to such efforts as preserving salmon and wildlife habitat, and creating new hiking trails, boating access and recreational opportunities.

Thanks to your support, Western Rivers Conservancy is:

• Conserving a lifeline for California salmon and steelhead on the Gualala River

• Protecting a Cold-Water Savings Vault for Colorado’s Dolores River

California’s Gualala River:

Flowing from the rugged slopes of northern California’s Coast Range, the Gualala River is an exceptional free-flowing river with three main forks: the South Fork, the North Fork and, the largest of the three, the Wheatfield Fork. The Gualala supports an abundance of wildlife at the edge of a region that has experienced significant development during the last 50 years. On its 40-mile journey to the Pacific, the Gualala courses through a mosaic of redwood forest, mixed conifer forests and oak woodlands that provide important habitat for numerous threatened, endangered and sensitive species. These remaining expanses of California forest and woodlands are crucial to fish and wildlife and provide critical watershed functions for rivers like the Gualala. They are also important as open space for towns throughout the region, while the area’s working forests and ranches provide income for families and revenue for local economies.

The Gualala River is home to threatened Northern California Coast winter steelhead and endangered Central California Coast coho salmon, two crucial populations of imperiled anadromous fish whose future hinges on the health of rivers like the Gualala. The river is also home to the Gualala roach, a distinct species of minnow that is endemic to the river and has been isolated to the watershed for thousands of years.

In 2015, Western Rivers Conservancy embarked on an effort to conserve the 4,440-acre Silva Ranch, located on the Wheatfield Fork in the headwaters of the Gualala River. We successfully conserved the ranch in December 2022 by partnering with California Rangeland Trust to place a conservation easement over the property. The easement protects an important reach of the Wheatfield Fork, as well as a series of headwater tributaries that provide invaluable clean, cold water to the Gualala River and crucial spawning and rearing habitat for imperiled anadromous fish. Our efforts preserve over 40 acres of old-growth redwood forest and more than 2,600 acres of hardwood forest and oak woodland. Conservation of the property, which lies adjacent to more than 75,000 acres of protected land, also improves habitat connectivity on a scale far beyond the Silva property itself.

The ranch had the potential for dozens of home sites and extensive grape production, which the easement prevents or severely limits. It instead allows only around three percent of the property to be used for vineyards or other intensive agriculture and adds protections to streams throughout the ranch to conserve habitat and prevent water withdrawal.

With the conservation easement held in perpetuity by Rangeland Trust, the Silva family will continue to sustainably manage the ranch’s lands for timber and livestock production, while the property’s critically important river habitat, redwoods, woodlands and rangelands will remain intact for fish and wildlife.

Colorado’s Dolores River:

The Dolores River is one of southwest Colorado’s great scenic and recreational treasures. From its headwaters at nearly 12,000 feet in the San Miguel Mountains, to its confluence with the Colorado River near Moab, Utah, the Dolores charts a 240-mile course through some of the most stunning landscapes in the West.

On its descent to the mighty Colorado, the Dolores winds through pristine alpine meadows, majestic ponderosa pine forests, hidden archaeological sites and dramatic, sheer-walled sandstone canyons. Despite being impounded at McPhee Reservoir, several stretches of the lower river are eligible for wild and scenic designation. In fact, below the reservoir, the Dolores
offers one of the country’s longest wilderness floats.

At the river’s headwaters, between the East and West forks of the Dolores, lies a prized 157-acre property called Dunton Meadows, which WRC has committed to purchase. Dunton Meadows is dominated by a broad wetland meadow beneath the snowcapped summit of Mount Wilson. This subalpine meadow provides excellent habitat for birds and wildlife and captures snowmelt and rain that drain to a nearby stream called Coal Creek. The creek is a critical headwater tributary of the Dolores and offers some of the richest habitat in the entire upper river for imperiled Colorado River cutthroat trout.

Surrounded by national forest and wilderness, Dunton Meadows also provides access to a stunning part of the Rockies with diverse recreation opportunities. The Groundhog Stock Driveway Trail, a popular hiking and biking trail that runs between Dunton Meadows and Lizard Head Pass, crosses the property. Meadow Creek, an excellent trout fishing stream, bisects the southern edge of the parcel.

After acquiring Dunton Meadows, we plan to hold the property until we can secure funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to convey it to the San Juan National Forest for permanent protection. Given the importance of this property, WRC’s efforts have been met with broad local support. Conserving it will be a tremendous benefit to the Dolores River system, its wildlife and all who enjoy this special place.

Conclusion

The Gualala and Dolores River projects are just some of our recent projects. WRC currently has over two dozen active projects in seven states. With the support of GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is expanding our efforts to protect riverlands for fish, wildlife and people.

We love to hear from our supporters. Please contact Anne Tattam at 503-241-0151, ext. 219 (or atattam@westernrivers.org) for further information. Thank you.

• Western Rivers Conservancy: Project Photos (PDF)
  

With backing from GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is permanently protecting land along outstanding rivers across the western United States. Your gift supports the core costs of purchasing and conserving land for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Your contribution is dedicated to such efforts as preserving salmon and wildlife habitat, and creating new hiking trails, boating access and recreational opportunities.                               

Thanks to your support, Western Rivers Conservancy is:     

• Protecting McLoughlin Falls Ranch on Washinton’s Okanogan River

• Conserving a Premier Stretch of Washinton’s Yakima River

Washinton’s Okanogan River:   

On Washington’s Okanogan River, Western Rivers Conservancy is on the cusp of buying and conserving the 727-acre McLoughlin Falls Ranch in order to protect two miles of the Okanogan and a key piece of one of the state’s most important wildlife corridors.

The Okanogan River originates in Canada’s Okanagan Lake and flows 115 miles through oblong lakes, low rolling hills, expanses of sagebrush and stands of Ponderosa pines, eventually emptying into the Columbia River in north-central Washington. Along its banks, fertile agricultural lands fan out for miles and miles, giving rise to productive farms, orchards and vineyards.

Roughly 30 miles south of the Canada-US border, the Okanogan dips into the glacier-carved McLoughlin Canyon, one of the most scenic and historic reaches of the river—and the location of McLoughlin Falls Ranch. Named after a hearty Class II rapid called McLoughlin Falls, the ranch makes up a critical part of a larger wildlife movement corridor that spans from the Cascade Mountains in the west to the Kettle River Range in the east. Mule deer migrate between the valley and higher elevations, and the area is home to cougar, elk, bighorn sheep, sharp-tailed grouse and the country’s healthiest population of Canada lynx.

McLoughlin Falls Ranch possesses key stands of riparian forests that shade the river and help keep the Okanogan’s temperatures low. Despite intense pressure, the river supports one of only two remaining self-sustaining runs of sockeye salmon in the entire Columbia Basin, as well as Chinook and steelhead populations that are still hanging on.

From a historical perspective, McLoughlin Falls Ranch is also important. The property and surrounding region have long been used by people as a trading, hunting and fishing route. The ranch is an ancestral fishing site for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and artifacts on the property point to its history as a stagecoach stop for miners and settlers.

In October 2021, we signed an agreement to purchase the property, and we will buy and hold it until we can permanently conserve the ranch in partnership with the Colville Tribes and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Once we transfer the property to its new stewards, the ranch will remain undeveloped for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people, including those who’ve had ties to this land for centuries.

Washington’s Yakima River:     

The Yakima River is one of the West’s premier desert trout streams. It flows 214 miles from Keechelus Lake in the Cascade Mountains to the Columbia River, with a glorious 27-mile stretch through the Yakima River Canyon. Here, in a great sea of sagebrush, the river sweeps around giant horseshoe bends, past high basalt cliffs and rolling desert hills. Year-round, trout anglers take to the Yakima in drift boats and rafts, and in summer people head to the river for day floats in inner tubes. Bighorn sheep, elk and mule deer can be spotted along the river’s banks, and the canyon’s crevices and cliffs are home to the state’s densest concentration of nesting hawks, eagles and falcons.

Named after the indigenous Yakama people, the Yakima is Washington’s longest river that flows entirely within the state. Historically, the river was one of the Columbia Basin’s major producers of salmon and steelhead, but dams and a century of water withdrawals on the Yakima have degraded fish runs.

In the upper reaches of the Yakima River Canyon lies the 812-acre Yakima Canyon Ranch, spanning two sides of the river atthe heart of some of the best fly fishing water in Washington. It is one of just a handful of the canyon’s river reaches that aren’t protected within the Bureau of Land Management’s surrounding Yakima Canyon Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and is home to the popular Big Horn boating access site. It’s an important property from a fish and wildlife perspective and possesses outstanding river access, excellent camping and breathtaking desert vistas in every direction.

Given its importance, Yakima Canyon Ranch has long been a target for conservation. Western Rivers Conservancy first attempted to purchase the property in 2015, but it took until 2021 to get a deal in place. We acquired interim funding to purchase the ranch and are now working to secure an appropriation from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to convey the property to the BLM. When funding is in place, we will transfer Yakima Canyon Ranch to the BLM for inclusion within the ACEC, guaranteeing permanent public access and ensuring greater management continuity along the river.

Conservation of the ranch will also protect migratory habitat for salmon and steelhead and robust habitat for California bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and a myriad of small mammals and birds.

Once Yakima Canyon Ranch is in BLM hands, this premier stretch of the Yakima will be permanently protected for the sake of fish and wildlife, and public access to this very special stretch of the Yakima River Canyon will be guaranteed forever.

Conclusion

The McLoughlin Falls and Yakima River projects are just some of our recent projects. WRC currently has over two dozen active projects in seven states. With the support of GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is expanding our efforts to protect riverlands for fish, wildlife and people.

We love to hear from our supporters. Please contact Anne Tattam at 503-241-0151, ext. 219 (or atattam@westernrivers.org) for further information. Thank you.

• Western Rivers Conservancy: Project Photos (PDF)
  

With backing from GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is permanently protecting land along outstanding rivers across the western United States. Your gift supports the core costs of purchasing and conserving land for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Your contribution is dedicated to such efforts as preserving salmon and wildlife habitat, and creating new hiking trails, boating access and recreational opportunities.                          

Thanks to your support, Western Rivers Conservancy is:     

• Expanding Protection of Idaho’s Wild and Scenic Selway River

• Permanently conserved a cherished mountainside above Washington’s Lake Wenatchee and Nason Creek

Idaho’s Selway River:  

Picture the ultimate wild river: roaring whitewater, horizons notched by snow-capped peaks, corridors of evergreen forests, bear and elk sporadically roaming the riverbank, trout surfacing on the water, and not another human in sight. This is Idaho’s Wild and Scenic Selway River.

The 98-mile long Selway is widely known as one of America’s most spectacular, and most thoroughly protected, free-flowing rivers. From its source in the Bitterroot Mountains, the Selway flows west to the Lochsa River to form the Middle Fork Clearwater. It is one of eight rivers designated in the original Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, and much of the river lies within the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness, one of the initial wilderness areas that was protected under the 1964 Wilderness Act.

Thanks to this long history of protection and the river’s remarkably untouched quality (only one raft trip is permitted per day), the Selway is one of few rivers that provides vast, unbroken habitat for fish and wildlife, including westslope cutthroat trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon, Canada lynx, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The Selway is also revered by veteran river-runners, as it guarantees boaters a truly pristine wilderness experience.

Before the Selway’s confluence with the Lochsa, it leaves the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness and continues through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Along this stretch, a few private inholdings along the otherwise wilderness-blanketed river remain unprotected.

Last year, WRC negotiated a deal to purchase one of the most important of these inholdings, the 152-acre Selway River Ranch. The ranch is the finest example of a flat, pristine meadow on the lower Selway. It spans nearly a mile of the western bank of the river and includes half a mile of Elk City Creek, a minor Selway tributary.

In April 2022, we purchased the ranch, locking in our commitment to this special property. We will now hold it while we pursue funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to convey the ranch to the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. Our aim is to keep the property intact and undeveloped, to protect its fish and wildlife habitat, and to help maintain the exquisite, untamed character of Idaho’s Wild and Scenic Selway River forever. g

Washington’s Nason Ridge:     

After four years of hard work, Western Rivers Conservancy, Chelan County and Chelan- Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) successfully created Nason Ridge Community Forest! Washington’s newest community forest now spans 3,714 acres above Lake Wenatchee and permanently protects two miles of Nason Creek and all of Kahler Creek, two outstanding salmon-bearing streams and critical sources of cold water for the Wenatchee River.

This landmark project has its roots in— and owes its success to—the people of Lake Wenatchee, who have tried to protect Nason Ridge for over two decades. The property is highly visible from around the lake and is home to a network of trails that connect to the neighboring Lake Wenatchee State Park. With some 60,000 people visiting Nason Ridge every year to hike, mountain bike and cross country ski, the property has long been part of the fabric of the community. But Nason Ridge was owned by the Seattle-based timber company Weyerhaeuser, and its future was uncertain for years.

In 2018, WRC negotiated a deal to purchase Nason Ridge from Weyerhaeuser. We then held the property and joined forces with CDLT, Chelan County and the local community to raise funds to convey it to a steward that could keep the property intact and in public hands forever. That steward turned out to be Chelan County.

Following WRC’s purchase of Nason Ridge, the partners raised over $6 million in public and private funding to convey the property to Chelan County, and to underwrite its stewardship as a community forest and public recreation area, all while helping to protect and restore habitat. In April 2022, WRC conveyed the property to the county, beginning an exciting new chapter for Nason Ridge.

Conclusion

The Selway and Nason Ridge projects are just some of our recent projects. WRC currently has over two dozen active projects in seven states. With the support of GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is expanding our efforts to protect riverlands for fish, wildlife and people.

We love to hear from our supporters. Please contact Anne Tattam at 503-241-0151, ext. 219 (or atattam@westernrivers.org) for further information. Thank you.

• Western Rivers Conservancy: Project Photos (PDF)
  

With backing from GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is permanently protecting land along outstanding rivers across the western United States. Your gift supports the core costs of purchasing and conserving land for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Your contribution is dedicated to such efforts as preserving salmon and wildlife habitat, and creating new hiking trails, boating access and recreational opportunities.                                  

Thanks to your support, Western Rivers Conservancy is:     

• Preserving the lifelines of Washington’s scenic Methow Valley

• Protecting Land, Water, Habitat and Access in the Big Hole Valley

Washington’s Methow Valley:

In Washington’s Methow Valley, Western Rivers Conservancy has completed two projects on the Methow and Chewuch rivers that add key pieces to the valley’s conservation puzzle. On the Methow, we conveyed the 35-acre Stafford Ranch to a conservation buyer with a restoration-access easement, laying the groundwork for restoring critical salmon and steelhead habitat along the ranch’s river frontage. A week later, we conveyed the 328-acre Wagner Ranch on the Chewuch River to the Methow Conservancy, locking in a conservation future for this historic ranch and its important fish and wildlife habitat.

Located in the heart of the Methow Valley, both properties were at risk of being subdivided and developed, which spurred WRC to purchase the ranches and find solutions that instead prioritized healthy habitat and open space. Wagner Ranch—which spans 1.6 miles of the Chewuch River, the largest tributary to the Methow—is a particularly important property. Over a dozen different salmon restoration opportunities have been identified on the ranch, and it abuts the 14,800-acre Methow Unit of Washington’s Methow Wildlife Area, providing important habitat connectivity for wildlife.

The Stafford property spans a short but vital stretch of the Methow River and controls groundwater rights that will allow for future re-watering of dried side-channels and reestablish spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead.

Both projects deliver important wins for the Methow Valley, with special thanks going to the Methow Conservancy for step­ping up to acquire and conserve the Wagner Ranch. The Methow River Valley is a place where recreation and community coexist with fish and wildlife, and WRC is proud of contributing to the balance of this relation­ship, ensuring more intact open space and healthy habitat for the benefit of all.

Montana’s Big Hole Valley:     

Montana’s Big Hole River is a poster child of an iconic western stream. One of the country’s premier fly fishing rivers, the 150-mile long Big Hole tumbles from high mountains through some of the most diverse geography of any river in the state. It is a beloved trout fishery and, remarkably, the only river left in the Lower 48 with fluvial Arctic grayling.

Currently, WRC is working on two important projects in the Big Hole system aimed at delivering water for imperiled grayling and other fish; preserving recreational access; and protecting habitat for the Big Hole Valley’s diverse wildlife. Most recently, we signed an agreement to purchase the 317-acre Clemow Cow Camp property, which contains vital wildlife habitat and serves as an entry point into the 148,150-acre West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area, the largest remaining roadless area in southwest Montana.

Two high-mountain Big Hole tributary streams, Cox and Old Tim creeks, flow through the Clemow property, which controls 2.77 CFS of water rights. WRC intends to purchase the property and convey it to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, which plans to work with Trout Unlimited’s Western Water Project to dedicate that water in-stream. By conserving this property, we will protect habitat for Canada lynx, grizzly bear, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and pronghorn. We will also conserve 154 acres of riparian wetland and wet-meadow habitat that is crucial for waterfowl and shorebirds and offers important headwater flow into the Big Hole River.

Our efforts at Clemow Cow Camp build on a project we launched this summer, when we purchased the 200-acre Eagle Rock Ranch to return critically needed water to the Wise River, a major tributary to the Big Hole. Conserving Eagle Rock Ranch will allow us to return nearly 11 CFS of water to the Wise, a significant boost for a stream this size. We plan to convey the ranch to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and dedicate the ranch’s water in-stream in partnership with Trout Unlimited’s Western Water Project.

The Big Hole Valley is a gateway to some of Montana’s most scenic countryside and home to some of its very best fly fishing. WRC’s efforts in the valley will protect habitat for wildlife, deliver prime recreational access and return much-needed water to the system for the benefit of imperiled fluvial Arctic grayling, as well as westslope cutthroat and non-native rainbow and brown trout for which the Big Hole is famous.

Conclusion

The Methow and Big Hole Valley projects are just some of our recent projects. WRC currently has over two dozen active projects in seven states. With the support of GlobalGiving donors, Western Rivers Conservancy is expanding our efforts to protect riverlands for fish, wildlife and people.

We love to hear from our supporters. Please contact Anne Tattam at 503-241-0151, ext. 219 (or atattam@westernrivers.org) for further information. Thank you.