Grouse Habitat and Public Access
Expanded on the Columbia River
This Issue:
Columbia River, WA
Big gains for sharp-tailed grouse, fish and people at the Big Bend Wildlife Area
Fall River, CA
Habitat for trout and migratory birds conserved in conveyance to Pit River Tribe
Columbia River
Washington
Western Rivers Conservancy has successfully conveyed the 2,135-acre Big Bend Ranch to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), permanently conserving a beautiful sweep of sagebrush-steppe along the Upper Columbia River. Completed last month, the transfer protects 1.5 miles of Columbia River shoreline, expands the Big Bend Wildlife Area, and increases habitat protections for Columbian sharp-tailed grouse—all in an area that is experiencing increased riverfront development.
Located 14 miles northwest of Grand Coulee, Big Bend Ranch sits along the south
shore of Rufus Woods Lake, the 51-mile reach of the Columbia River between Grand Coulee Dam and Chief Joseph Dam. Despite its name and two dams that bookend this reach, the river here still maintains a moving current and supports a number of resident fishes, including kokanee salmon and rainbow trout. Above Chief Joseph Dam, efforts led by the Colville Tribes to restore anadromous fish give this stretch of the Columbia renewed ecological importance, making the protection of intact riparian and upland habitat especially timely. The ranch lies across the river from the Colville Indian Reservation and is set amid
Saint Joe River, ID
WRC buys key property with outstanding habitat, history and recreational opportunities
Birch Creek, OR
Another conservation success for salmon and steelhead in the Umatilla River basin
South Fork Gualala River, CA
New effort to conserve redwoods and riverlands with the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians
A hiker explores Big Bend Ranch, which WRC recently conserved by adding it to the Big Bend Wildlife Area in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
TYLER ROEMER
Conserving the Spring-Fed Jewel of the Golden State
Fall River
California
At the heart of the Fall River Valley, WRC successfully conserved the 270-acre Pope Jensen Ranch by purchasing and then immediately conveying it to the Pit River Tribe. The effort protects three miles of the Fall River, including excellent habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife, while placing ancestral lands back into the hands of their original stewards. The Tribe can now begin critically needed restoration on nearly 135 acres of freshwater wetlands. The Fall River—one of the largest spring-fed rivers in the nation—is a geological marvel. The cold water that rises from ancient lava beds to form the Fall is a combination of rain and snowmelt, which, in some cases, has been stored and filtered through underground aquifers for as long as 25 years. This water resurfaces cold, clean and primed to sustain a diverse array of life, including some of the state’s biggest trout.
Given its water quality and flows, the Fall River is uniquely important. In midsummer, when rivers throughout the state grow exceedingly low and warm, and sometimes even lethal for fish, the Fall flows steady and cold, with temperatures rarely rising above the low fifties. As a result, the river sustains one of the most productive and famous rainbow trout fisheries in California, including some of the largest rainbow trout in the Lower 48. The river also supports a variety of other native fish including the bigeye marbled sculpin, a statelisted Species of Moderate Concern. Beyond trout habitat, the Fall and its tributaries form a mosaic of sloughs, ponds and wetlands that migratory birds rely on. The Fall River Valley is a critical resting point along the Pacific Flyway, one of America’s major northsouth flyways for birds like long-billed curlew, willet, Wilson’s phalarope, sandhill crane and many more. With its
grasslands and riparian vegetation, the ranch also provides habitat for wildlife like mule deer, beaver and muskrat.
Over half of Pope Jensen Ranch is classified as wetland. The Pit River Tribe plans to restore this crucial habitat using Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge to reintroduce plants and control invasive species. An increased number of native plants will benefit both conservation and tribal resilience, providing for the availability of natural resources used for basket making, medicines and to promote subsistence-based uses. The plants will help stabilize riverbanks and provide shade and habitat for fish and wildlife.
This effort is not only a win for fish and wildlife, but a win for tribes who have inhabited this area since time immemorial. The result will be a healthier river system, restored cultural practices and protected habitat for the species that depend on the Fall River’s cold, clear waters. g
A fly angler casts for elusive trout on the Fall River, where WRC and the Pit River Tribe just conserved 270 acres and set the stage for wetland restoration. The Fall River Valley is a critical resting point on the Pacific Flyway for thousands of birds, including sandhill cranes (pictured).
VAL ATKINSON
Upping the Odds For Salmon and Steelhead in the Umatilla Basin
Birch Creek
Oregon
In late September, WRC conserved the 100-acre Birch Creek Ranch in northeastern Oregon by conveying it to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Our effort protects a critical reach of Birch Creek—the largest producer of threatened Middle Columbia River steelhead in the Umatilla basin—while reconnecting the Tribes with ancestral homelands.
Flowing southwest of Pendleton, Birch Creek is a major tributary to the Umatilla River, which was once one of the mid-Columbia’s major producers of salmon and steelhead. Decades of water withdrawals and habitat degradation devastated these runs, but CTUIR has spearheaded restoration efforts for years, working to bring the fish runs back to health.
Now, at Birch Creek Ranch, which the Tribes call Kwálkwal, the CTUIR can expand those restoration efforts across more than a mile of historic floodplain. That work may even include removing an earthen barrier that has impeded upstream fish migration for decades. The Tribes also plan to dedicate the ranch’s substantial surface and groundwater rights to instream flows, replenishing the creek and downstream floodplain.
Beyond its value for fish, the ranch supports diverse wildlife, including wild turkey, for which the CTUIR named the property. (Kwálkwal is an onomatopoeia for the gobble of turkeys.) Its meadows, uplands and rimrock formations provide habitat for Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn, mountain lion, golden eagle, osprey and other species. The property also includes a spring complex and a section of Stewart Creek, which flows into Birch Creek downstream of the property.
This project deepens WRC’s ongoing partnership with the CTUIR, a collaboration that is rooted in a shared vision of conserving rivers and habitat within the Tribes’ homeland. Earlier this year, WRC collaborated with the CTUIR and Blue Mountain Land Trust to secure a conservation easement on the 943-acre UmaBirch Floodplain property, downstream of Kwálkwal at the confluence of Birch Creek and the Umatilla River. Our work there launched the largest floodplain restoration efforts in the Umatilla basin, which continue today. Together, these projects are breathing new life into salmon and steelhead recovery efforts, improving the odds that these iconic fish will thrive once more in the Umatilla system. g
Idaho
WRC Buys Fishhook Creek Property on the Saint Joe River
Last month, on Idaho’s storied Saint Joe River, WRC purchased 585 acres of forest and riverfront at the confluence of Fishhook Creek, just downstream of the old railroad settlement of Avery. Our goal is to convey the property to the U.S. Forest Service, permanently protecting a mile of the “Shady Saint Joe” and 0.6 miles of Fishhook Creek. The transfer will fill a key management and access gap within the Idaho Panhandle National Forests and open the door for habitat restoration and new recreational access along one of the state’s most cherished rivers.
The Saint Joe is revered for its wild character and great fly fishing. Its watershed is the ancestral homeland of the Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) Tribe, and the river helped shape early Forest Service practices after the devastating Big Burn of 1910. Today, anglers travel from across the country to fish its crystal-clear waters beneath the shade of towering fir and cedar trees.
The Fishhook Creek property lies within some of the best remaining cold-water habitat in the basin. The Saint Joe and its tributaries support the last self-sustaining populations of threatened bull trout in the greater Lake Coeur d’Alene watershed and are a stronghold for westslope cutthroat trout. The mixed conifer forests on the property also provide habitat for Rocky Mountain elk, moose, Canada lynx and the occasional grizzly bear.
Once WRC conveys the property to the Forest Service, the agency will be able to manage it for fish and wildlife while creating new recreation access along a river corridor that is largely privately owned downstream—and this pristine stretch of the Saint Joe will remain wild, healthy and accessible for generations to come. g
DANIEL CRONIN
Birch Creek is the largest producer of threatened Middle Columbia River steelhead in the Umatilla basin.
California
New Effort on the South Fork Gualala River
In an exciting opportunity on the Northern California coast, WRC has launched an effort to conserve 1.2 miles of the South Fork Gualala River, including stands of mature redwoods. Our partner is the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, who will become the long-term steward of the property. The Tribe plans to improve the property’s redwood habitat using both current forestry practices and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, benefiting these rare groves and the fish and wildlife that depend on them.
The Gualala River flows from the rugged slopes of Northern California’s Coast Range as an exceptional free-flowing river with three main forks: the South Fork, the North Fork and the Wheatfield Fork, where WRC conserved 4,440 acres in 2022. Threatened Northern California steelhead and some of the southernmost salmon populations persist in the Gualala watershed, but they both face significant threats from habitat degradation and development.
The 1.2 miles of the South Fork Gualala that WRC is working to conserve contain documented habitat for steelhead, with deep shaded pools that provide refuge as the fish move upstream to spawn. This stretch also provides habitat for the Gualala roach, an endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
Once we convey the property to the Kashia Band, the Tribe will begin forest recovery efforts that will improve fish habitat by reducing sediment loading and water temperatures. It will also improve forest habitat for wildlife like threatened northern spotted owl and Sonoma tree vole, a state Species of Special Concern. The Tribe will also be able to reconnect with ancestral lands for cultural practices and educational activities.
On the whole, our efforts on the South Fork broaden WRC’s impact on the Gualala basin, delivering more protections for imperiled species and prime stands of redwood trees, while returning ancestral lands to the river’s original stewards. g
the dramatic landscape of Alameda Flats—a place of rugged basalt cliffs, rolling grassland benches and sweeping views of the Columbia River Basin. Within this arid region, Big Bend Ranch stands out as a mosaic of habitats that support a wide array of wildlife, including one of Washington’s most imperiled birds: the Columbian sharptailed grouse. The ranch’s sagebrushsteppe is prime grouse habitat, and its seasonal wetlands and wildflower meadows provide much-needed breeding and brood-rearing grounds.
For neotropical migratory songbirds, Big Bend Ranch is a rare oasis of cover, forage and water in an otherwise dry landscape. Mule deer, upland game birds, raptors and small mammals also rely on the ranch’s diverse plant communities. By adding the property to the adjacent Big Bend Wildlife Area, WRC and WDFW have ensured landscapescale habitat connectivity across thousands of acres of public lands.
WRC’s conservation of Big Bend Ranch also opens the door for new recreational access. Under WDFW stewardship, the property will offer opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, hiking and
mountain biking—expanded public access along a scenic reach of the Columbia that has historically been dominated by private land, save for the public lands within the state wildlife area. WRC purchased Big Bend Ranch in early 2024 and then worked with WDFW for nearly two years to secure permanent funding to add the property to the state wildlife area. With the conveyance now complete, a key piece of the river’s natural heritage has been safeguarded for fish, wildlife and people. The project is a meaningful win for conservation in a landscape long shaped by dams—proof that even along the most engineered rivers, we can still protect wild places and restore ecological resilience for generations to come. g
The property along the Columbia that WRC conserved includes seasonal wetlands and sagebrush-steppe—habitat that Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (top) depend on.