Report from the Field

REPORT from the FIELD

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CHAIR

When Western Rivers Conservancy conserved two ranches in Montana’s Big Hole Valley last year, we felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment and a special connection with people who care about the Big Hole River system. It’s a deeply loved place, and we are proud of contributing our unique set of outcomes to ensure that fluvial Arctic grayling, whitefish and westslope cutthroat have more of the cold water they need to survive. After conveying the lands to the U.S. Forest Service, we together established a creative water management strategy that delivers clean, cold water to the Big Hole system at a time when it desperately needs it. The permanent protection of these two ranches is a perfect illustration of just how impactful we can be through land acquisition and by working strategically with our partners.

The pages of this report reveal that 2023 was a remarkable year for WRC, not just on the Big Hole, but on project after project, delivering equally profound results for rivers, fish, wildlife and people. Take Antoine Creek for example, a tributary to the Okanogan River. For the first time in years the creek has enough water in it for returning steelhead because we were able to put a ranch, which controls a dam that dewatered the creek, into the hands of the Colville Tribes. At McDermitt Creek, on the Oregon/Nevada border, we secured a conservation future for Disaster Peak Ranch, setting the stage for the recovery of 55 miles of stream habitat for Lahontan cutthroat trout. And, on the Washington coast, we added three miles of the Bear River and precious stands of old-growth forest to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.

As you read through this report, I hope you see just how tangible and long-lasting this work is for the great rivers of the West. When we say we are conserving a stretch of river, we are talking about real outcomes: forests, grasslands and meadows permanently protected so they can do the work they do for rivers; riparian areas allowed to recover over time or through restoration; water kept in-stream and cooled down for fish; and whenever possible, compatible river access guaranteed for anyone wanting to fish, hike, boat or otherwise enjoy these outstanding western rivers.

May this ReportfromtheField serve as an inspiration, too, nudging you to visit one of these special places, where you will see firsthand how real our impact is.

Yours in conservation,

Sue Doroff Jim Smith President Board Chair

Sue Doroff, President

Jim Smith, Board Chair

CULTURAL AND HABITAT RESILIENCE ON A BODEGA BAY ESTUARY

Up and down the Pacific Coast, the rich, dynamic habitats in and around estuaries support a vast array of fish, birds, insects, plants and animals, many of them rare. Similarly, abundance and diversity have drawn humans to estuaries and surrounding coastal areas for millennia. Shared cultural and natural linkages forged over time in places like these provide invaluable context for conservation today. Dillon Beach Ranch, perched on a bluff overlooking a small estuary and Northern California’s spectacular coastline, is just such a place.

In 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy signed an agreement to purchase Dillon Beach Ranch and then forged a unique partnership with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to permanently protect it for the sake of its fragile fish and wildlife.

Just 40 miles north of the Golden Gate, in West Marin County, the ranch covers 466 stunning acres of windswept coastal terrace, 400 feet above the Pacific and the Estero de San Antonio (estero is Spanish for estuary). It includes 1.5 miles of the southern shore of the estuary and another 1.5 miles of coastline to the south. Views sweep north to Bodega Bay and south to Tomales Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore. The ranch served as a cattle operation for years, and more recently was the site of a planned

monastery. Local resistance to the monastery eventually landed the property back on the market, where its course was uncertain. To guarantee a conservation future, WRC committed to purchase the ranch and find a way to protect it for good.

Ancestors of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which includes Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo communities, inhabited the estuary and around for centuries, with ancestral lands, cultural sites and descendants still present today.

The estuary ecosystem remains largely intact, incredibly diverse and wholly unique. Federally endangered and seldom-seen species like Myrtle’s silverspot butterfly and San Bruno elfin butterfly are known to flit about the area—and likely only there. Though endangered, the scrappy little northern tidewater goby still darts among the estuary’s seasonal sandbars, while threatened California red-legged frogs inhabit wetland areas of the estuary.

WRC purchased Dillon Beach Ranch in December 2023 and is working closely with the Graton Rancheria to craft a durable conservation solution for the property, for the Estero de San Antonio, and for the irreplaceable cultural and natural values they share.

Estero de San Antonio

RIVER NAME

California

STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

466 acres

RIVER MILES

1.5 miles

KEY ANIMALS

Myrtle’s silverspot butterfly, San Bruno elfin butterfly, California red-legged frog, mule deer

KEY FISH

northern tidewater goby

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Just north of San Francisco, WRC partnered with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to conserve Dillon Beach Ranch.

This 466-acre swath of spectacular Bodega Bay headlands spans 1.5 miles of coastline and 1.5 miles of the Estero de San Antonio, an estuary with a vast array of fish, birds, insects, plants and other wildlife.

WRC is working to conserve 1.5 miles of the Estero de San Antonio (top) and 1.5 miles of Pacific coastline at Dillon Beach Ranch (left). The ranch includes habitat for endangered species, invaluable cultural sites and sweeping views of Bodega Bay.

Big Hole River

Wise River Cox and Old Tim Creeks

KEY ANIMALS

grizzly bear, Canada lynx, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, North American wolverine KEY FISH

fluvial Arctic grayling, mountain whitefish, westslope cutthroat trout

As it does in nearly all of the West’s great river valleys, water drives southwestern Montana’s legendary Big Hole country. Everything from trout streams and wetlands to communities and sandhill cranes feel the strain when water runs low. Some animals especially, like the fluvial Arctic grayling, whose only remaining native stronghold in the Lower 48 is the Big Hole River, need the coldest, cleanest water to survive.

Last year, WRC completed two efforts in the Big Hole Valley that will deliver more clean, cold water to the Big Hole River. The first was on the Wise River, where WRC conveyed the 200-acre Eagle Rock Ranch to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The property included an 11 CFS water right, a significant amount of water for a stream the size of the Wise.

Building off our success on the Wise River, WRC returned more water to the Big Hole by conserving a second critical headwater property: Clemow Cow Camp, a spectacular 317-acre inholding in the BeaverheadDeerlodge National Forest. As at Eagle Rock Ranch, WRC conveyed the ranch to the U.S. Forest Service.

Clemow Cow Camp lies within an expansive valley floor, a vibrant sea of green in summer, when it is flecked with endless wildflowers. Two cold mountain streams—Cox and Old Tim creeks—snake lazily across the valley, bordered their entire way by grasses and wetlands. The two creeks merge and join Warm Springs Creek just off the property, ultimately contributing their combined cool flows to the mainstem Big Hole River.

In 2023, WRC delivered over 13 CFS of desperately needed stream flows to the Wise and Big Hole rivers by conveying two ranches in the Big Hole Valley to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. We also protected two miles of headwater stream frontage, conserved 154 acres of riparian wetlands and wet meadows, and created new recreational access into the West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area.

WRC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then developed a plan that delivers 8.5 CFS to the property’s wild hayfields in the wet season, when the river is high. That water will seep into the groundwater table—filtering and cooling like a cold-water savings account accruing interest—until it is drawn out during the dry season, recharging the river exactly when it’s needed most. When stream flows are low in summer, the Forest Service will keep the 8.5 CFS directly in-stream, ensuring yet more water for the river in summer. The remaining 2.5 CFS will be left in-stream except when needed for stock. For a river whose late summer flows can drop below 35 CFS where it joins the Big Hole, that additional cold, clean water can be a lifesaver for fish.

The importance of these tributary flows can’t be overstated, especially for fluvial Arctic grayling. In the Lower 48, these beautiful fish survive in just one last river system: the Big Hole. Along with other cold-water species, the future for Arctic grayling in the Big Hole may well hinge on the cold water that headwater streams provide.

With that in mind, WRC purchased Clemow Cow Camp and its 2.77 CFS water right and conveyed both to the Forest Service, which can now implement an approach to delivering water to the Big Hole that is similar to what we did on the Wise. Our efforts also conserved 154 acres of mixed wetlands that offer ideal habitat for threatened grizzly, Canada lynx and diverse birdlife. Situated at the grassy doorstep of the 148,150-acre West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area, Clemow Cow Camp also serves as a portal to nearly limitless outdoor recreation.

Above left: fluvial Arctic grayling; above right: a family explores Clemow Cow Camp; far right: Fly angler on Old Tim Creek, Clemow Cow Camp.

VITAL WATER:

IMPROVING

IN THE WISE AND

HOLE RIVERS

CONSERVING SALMON HABITAT AND OLD-GROWTH FOREST AT WILLAPA BAY

Washington’s Willapa Bay, situated just north of the mouth of the Columbia River, is one of the West Coast’s largest estuaries, encompassing some 17,000 acres of saltwater marsh, intertidal flats, temperate rainforest, lush wetlands, open water and freshwater streams.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s designation of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in 1937 was a testament to its outstanding ecological and recreational values then and presaged their steady rise in importance over time. Maintaining those values into the future requires meaningful conservation today.

In 2022, Western Rivers Conservancy signed an agreement to purchase the Willapa Coastal Forest—2,366 acres of mixed forest and majestic old-growth, braided with 39 miles of perennial and intermittent streams— centering on 3.2 mainstem miles of the Bear River. WRC worked throughout 2023 to convey the property to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in early 2024 as a cornerstone addition to the refuge’s southern reaches.

The Bear River flows into the southern end of Willapa Bay, and although it is one of the estuary’s smaller streams, it is extremely important for salmon, wildlife and the health of the greater ecosystem. The stretch of the river that winds through the Willapa Coastal

Forest provides critical spawning and rearing habitat for chum, coho and fall Chinook salmon, along with winter steelhead and coastal cutthroat. Moreover, the property’s addition to the Willapa NWR compounds the conservation impact of the massive, decadelong Bear River Estuary Restoration project, completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2018.

Alongside Columbian black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk, more than 200 species of birds visit Willapa NWR annually, including endangered marbled murrelet and threatened western snowy plover. Adding the property to the Willapa NWR will also significantly expand public access and opportunities for birding, hiking and hunting.

Thanks to WRC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and to acquisition funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board, WRC was able to permanently protect the Willapa Coastal Forest in early 2024. Nearing a century since the designation of the Willapa NWR, WRC’s efforts are helping position the refuge for a future that includes healthier salmon runs and even better habitat for the birds and other wildlife that make this place so special.

Bear River

RIVER NAME

Washington STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

2,366 acres

RIVER MILES

3.2 mainstem, 4.3 tributary

KEY ANIMALS

marbled murrelet, black bear, Roosevelt elk, Columbian blacktailed deer

KEY FISH

chum, fall Chinook, coho, sea-run cutthroat trout, winter steelhead

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Throughout 2023, WRC continued its efforts to protect the 2,366acre Willapa Coastal Forest property, which we conveyed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2024 for protection within the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. The property includes stands of old-growth forest and three miles of the Bear River, which provides excellent spawning habitat for chum, steelhead, cutthroat trout and other salmonids.

WRC added 2,366 acres of temperate rainforest and 3.2 miles of the Bear River (left and top) to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. Our efforts conserved habitat for a diverse array of fish and wildlife and will expand recreation opportunities within the refuge.

John Day River

RIVER NAME

Oregon STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

4,054 acres

RIVER MILES

3.2 mainstem, 2.6 tributary

KEY ANIMALS

California bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, burrowing owl, sagebrush lizard

KEY FISH

summer steelhead, Chinook salmon

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 2023, WRC conveyed the 4,054-acre McDonald’s Ferry Ranch to the Bureau of Land Management, permanently conserving 3.2 miles of the John Day River and 2.6 miles of Grass Valley Canyon Creek, while securing permanent public access to a great stretch of the lower river and the lowest boater take-out on the John Day.

A WIN FOR FISH, WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE AT MCDONALD’S FERRY RANCH

Rich in history and invaluable for conservation and recreation, Oregon’s Wild and Scenic John Day River has long been a cornerstone of WRC’s vision for the future. Our efforts on the John Day date back to 2008, and we have since conserved dozens of river miles and tens of thousands of acres along this outstanding river and its critical cold-water tributaries. These efforts continue today.

In 2023, after securing funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, WRC successfully conveyed the 4,054-acre McDonald’s Ferry Ranch to the Bureau of Land Management. This permanently protected 3.2 miles of the mainstem John Day and 2.6 miles of Grass Valley Canyon Creek, as well as thousands of acres of habitat-rich grasslands and sagebrush-steppe. McDonald’s Ferry Ranch, which we purchased in 2020 and held until funding was available, is WRC’s fifth acquisition along the John Day, bringing the total mainstem miles we have protected to 30, and lands conserved to 42,300 acres.

McDonald’s Ferry Ranch—with its gentle grade and ample access from the former landowner— has long been essential for boaters. When the ranch went up for sale, however, continued public access became less certain. WRC’s efforts and partnership with the BLM guaranteed boater access will remain open to the public permanently, along with hiking, hunting, fishing, birding and other recreation.

Conserving McDonald’s Ferry also opens the door for restoration and reconnection of Grass Valley Canyon Creek to the mainstem John Day. Protecting this stream, especially when considered alongside the critical tributaries WRC has conserved on projects upstream, should help ensure the longevity of the John Day’s steelhead and salmon runs. Currently, the John Day produces the healthiest population of summer steelhead in the Columbia Basin, and among the healthiest run of spring Chinook.

Hikers explore and relax at McDonald’s Ferry Ranch on the John Day River (above and right). Here, WRC conserved a key stretch of the lower river and secured permanent public access to the lowest boating take-out on the John Day.

With its 147-mile wild and scenic section, long stretches of family-friendly water, wildlife-watching and spectacular basalt canyons, the John Day is a capital-D destination for boaters and anglers. As the lowest takeout before the impassable Tumwater Falls,

Prehistoric fossil beds, ancient petroglyphs and old wagon ruts all chronicle the history of the John Day, just as bighorn sheep, salmon and steelhead, coyotes and canyon wrens help define its character today. WRC will continue our work to conserve the John Day’s riverlands, waters and heritage, and to ensure that the public may experience this place forever.

Michigan Creek

One of Tarryall Creek’s main tributaries is Michigan Creek, which flows into the Tarryall downstream of Collard Ranch and is an important headwater of the South Platte River. In 2023, a WRC supporter and lifelong conservationist purchased an undeveloped, 120-acre property along two beautiful bends of Michigan Creek and generously donated the land to WRC. We are working to place a conservation easement on the property to permanently protect this stretch of the creek and create new recreational access. We will donate the easement to Colorado Open Lands and convey the property to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

A CONSERVATION MILESTONE FOR WILDLIFE AND ANGLER ACCESS IN SOUTH PARK

The famed South Platte River is the ecological and scenic centerpiece of South Park, the largest of three high-elevation basins within Colorado’s Front Range. A short drive southwest of Denver, South Park and the South Platte River provide outstanding habitat for fish and wildlife and popular destinations for recreationists of all stripes.

South Park is also home to Collard Ranch— 1,860 acres of prime, high-elevation Colorado grassland—and five miles of Tarryall Creek, a major South Platte tributary and prized trout stream. The creek meanders through the ranch’s mix of grasslands and willow thickets, with signature stands of aspen and mixed conifers upslope. The 14,000-foot Mosquito Range and neighboring peaks fill the viewshed on all sides.

In December 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy purchased Collard Ranch. Then, after securing funding from Great Outdoors Colorado’s Centennial Program and the Colorado Habitat Stamp, WRC worked to transfer the property to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for permanent protection. Our successful conservation of the ranch and its precious five miles of Tarryall Creek in 2024

was a landmark achievement for wildlife, habitat and recreation that will resonate for generations.

Collard Ranch lies within a major migration corridor for herds of Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer moving between surrounding high peaks and lower-elevation grasslands. The property also abuts Cline State Wildlife Area and other adjacent protected lands, so state ownership ensures more uniform conservation management of those key habitats together.

Habitat within Tarryall Creek itself is managed primarily by beavers. A rare, hardy beaver population creates ponds and wetlands for waterfowl, adds in-stream structure for trout, and builds habitat for the aquatic insects they both eat.

South Park is also one of the few areas in the world where extreme rich fens— high-elevation wetlands formed over thousands of years—still exist. Another 100 years from now, with permanent conservation gains like the ones we made at Collard Ranch, those fens should continue to grow and provide the habitat they do—a win for everyone, and everything, in South Park and beyond.

Tarryall Creek

RIVER NAME

Colorado

STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

1,860 acres

RIVER MILES

5 miles

KEY ANIMALS

Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn, beaver, Lewis’s woodpecker, mountain plover

KEY FISH

brown trout, rainbow trout

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WRC successfully purchased Collard Ranch last year and worked in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to secure the funding needed to convey the ranch to CPW to create Colorado’s newest state wildlife area. Completed in 2024, the project permanently conserved five miles of Tarryall Creek and the ranch’s superb habitat for elk, mule deer and pronghorn.

WRC conserved 1,860 acres of prime grassland and five miles of Tarryall Creek (left), a popular fly fishing stream. The property is home to a rare, hardy beaver population (top) and crucial migratory habitat for Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer.

Badger Creek

RIVER NAME Idaho STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

613 acres

RIVER MILES

2.5 miles

KEY ANIMALS

Mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, moose, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, bald eagle, golden eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon

KEY FISH

Yellowstone cutthroat trout

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Last year, WRC committed to purchase Badger Creek Canyon Ranch, the last privately owned property of significance along lower Badger Creek, a key tributary to the Teton River. Conserving the ranch in partnership with the BLM will usher forward a broader effort to recover one of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s critically important populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and preserve crucial winter habitat for elk and mule deer.

In 2023, WRC committed to purchase Badger Creek Canyon Ranch, which includes 2.5 miles of Badger Creek (top). Our efforts will help recover native Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations and protect overwintering habitat for mule deer (right) and other large animals.

NATIVE CUTTHROAT AND BIG MAMMALS IN THE TETON RIVER BASIN

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem covers 22 million acres across three states and two national parks in the Northern Rockies, constituting what the National Park Service has deemed one of the largest nearly intact temperate ecosystems on Earth. It is obviously—and thankfully—impossible to assign a dollar value to a place of this importance. But if a linchpin piece of this landscape went up for sale, and if conserving it would move the area’s ecological needle forward in a meaningful way, you might just have to negotiate a price and buy it. So, we did.

In 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy negotiated an agreement to purchase Badger Creek Canyon Ranch, a critical 613-acre property on Badger Creek, near the head of the Teton River’s rugged 25-mile canyon section. The ranch spans 2.5 miles of lower Badger Creek, and protecting it will play a key role in a multi-agency effort to recover native Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Teton system.

Badger Creek drains from its headwaters in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, near Grand Teton National Park, into eastern Idaho, where it joins the Teton River. Among its many attributes, upper Badger Creek is one of only four Teton River tributaries where genetically

pure Yellowstone cutthroat trout survive without the presence of non-native rainbows, which can compromise native cutthroat populations. Badger Creek’s unique cutthroat sanctuary comes courtesy of a natural aquatic encumbrance that stymies non-native invaders: a middle stretch of the river runs underground, so rainbows can’t reach the upstream waters. WRC’s acquisition of Badger Creek Canyon Ranch will not only help recover native cutthroat in lower Badger Creek, but it will also bolster ongoing work to recover the iconic Yellowstone cutthroat throughout the Teton Basin.

Adding Badger Creek Canyon Ranch to the BLM’s holdings within the lower Badger Creek/ Bitch Creek system will also complete a major step in longstanding efforts by the BLM and the state of Idaho to both conserve and secure access to the ecologically invaluable Teton Canyon. Permanently protecting Badger Creek Canyon Ranch will improve migration access to and from essential overwintering habitat for two to three thousand mule deer, hundreds of Rocky Mountain elk, moose, and numerous other species. And it will enhance recreational access across a reconnected landscape where fence lines are fading for the benefit of all.

BIG GAINS

FOR SALMON AND RECREATIONISTS ON A BLUE RIBBON TROUT STREAM

Yakima Canyon Ranch Four Seasons Ranch

For 214 miles, Washington’s Yakima River makes its run from the eastern slope of the Cascade Range to the Columbia River. Arguably the crown jewel of the Yakima—especially for fly anglers and anyone else floating the river—is the 27-mile Yakima River Canyon.

More than 9,000 acres of the canyon are managed by the BLM as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), though some priority properties along the river have remained private. One such parcel was the 647-acre Yakima Canyon Ranch, where a transfer in private ownership could have jeopardized the ranch’s tradition of public access, its habitat integrity, or both. So, in 2021, after wanting to conserve this property for years, Western Rivers Conservancy was able to buy it. We then worked to secure LWCF funding to transfer the ranch to the BLM in early 2024 for permanent conservation and recreation management.

Spanning both banks of the Yakima for 3.5 miles, Yakima Canyon Ranch provides an indispensable boat ramp at Bighorn, on its upper end, and opportunities for spectacular camping and hiking between Bighorn and the Umtanum recreation site downstream. California bighorn sheep, nesting golden eagles and prairie falcons frequent the sunbaked basalt cliffs high above, and elk, mule deer, bighorns and myriad birds and small mammals utilize its riparian reaches and grasslands. Yakima Canyon Ranch also provides direct access to hiking, birding and hunting in the adjacent 106,000-acre Wenas Wildlife Area.

Under the stewardship of the BLM, Yakima Canyon Ranch’s conservation and its tradition of public access will be guaranteed for good.

Famous for its redside rainbow trout, Washington’s Yakima River historically produced prolific runs of salmon and steelhead—runs that have since faded or disappeared. But in recent years, there have been broad efforts to bring those runs back in hopes that this legendary trout stream becomes a place of salmon and steelhead once again.

In 2023, WRC seized a rare opportunity to advance a large-scale effort to restore more than 650 acres of premier floodplain habitat along four miles of the Yakima—all by conserving a small but pivotal 39-acre tract of land in Kittitas County called Four Seasons Ranch.

Kittitas County has worked with landowners for nearly a decade to purchase and restore habitat along this four-mile stretch, and a final small property remained in private hands. WRC was able to negotiate purchase of the ranch and, in October 2023, successfully bought the property and conveyed it to the county for permanent conservation, setting the stage for the project to move forward.

An effort of this size and scale along such a vital river reach can be a game-changer for salmon and steelhead. Berms and levees will be gradually removed or allowed to continue decaying, side channels will be restored, cottonwood trees will be returned to the landscape and this stretch of the Yakima River will once again be free to meander and shift across its natural floodplain.

As small as Four Seasons Ranch is, the impact of conserving it will be huge—a win not just for salmon, but for the people and communities of the Yakima River, too.

Yakima River

RIVER NAME

Washington STATE

KEY FACTS

KEY ANIMALS

Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, California bighorn sheep, bald eagle, prairie falcon, great horned owl

KEY FISH

Chinook salmon, coho salmon, summer steelhead, rainbow trout, bull trout

Yakima Canyon Ranch

PROJECT SIZE

MILES

Four Seasons Ranch

PROJECT SIZE

MILES

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 2023, WRC set out to purchase Four Seasons Ranch and convey it to Kittitas County so it could continue restoring critical floodplain along four miles of the Yakima. Downstream, we continued our efforts to conserve Yakima Canyon Ranch and its 3.5 miles of river frontage, while safeguarding the ranch’s prized public access. We completed the projects in October 2023 and March 2024, respectively.

Left and top right: Anglers float past and fish the Four Seasons Ranch property that WRC conserved in 2023. Top left: Hikers explore the Yakima Canyon Ranch property that WRC conserved in 2024.

South Fork Kern

River

RIVER NAME

California

STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

2,285 acres

RIVER MILES

1.5 miles

KEY ANIMALS

southwestern willow flycatcher, California condor, least Bell’s vireo

KEY FISH

California golden trout, Kern River rainbow trout

PROTECTING AN OASIS BETWEEN THE MOJAVE AND THE SOUTHERN SIERRA

IACCOMPLISHMENTS

Last year, WRC permanently protected Fay Creek Ranch, a veritable oasis in a fragile desert transition zone between the Southern Sierra and the Mojave Desert. After working for two years to assemble funding and partners, we successfully transferred half of the ranch to the Tübatulabal Tribe and half to the Kern River Valley Heritage Foundation.

n August 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy completed the historic conservation of Fay Creek Ranch at the edge of California’s rugged Southern Sierra, on a tributary to the South Fork Kern River. Uniquely situated in the transition zone between the Southern Sierra and Mojave Desert, the property provides a rare natural refuge in an otherwise hot, arid landscape.

The ranch is named for Fay Creek, which courses southward from its origins high on the Boreal Plateau, gathering cold spring flows before it bisects the property. Several freshwater springs emerge from underground, supporting habitat for a range of rare birds and animals. The last mile of the creek runs underground before contributing its cold flows to the South Fork Kern. The South Fork—its alternating drops and flats flanked with cottonwood, willow, juniper and pine—boasts its own subspecies of golden trout, the strikingly colorful California golden trout.

River Valley Heritage Foundation. Our efforts permanently protected 2,285 acres of rare desert habitat, including life-giving freshwater springs, a warm spring and 1.5 miles of Fay Creek itself. Our partners will now manage the ranch according to our shared goals of conserving its fragile fish and wildlife habitat, preserving invaluable cultural sites, and improving people’s ability to access public and private lands in this remote area.

Conservation of the southwestern section of the ranch expands the foundation’s adjacent 3,800-acre Hanning Flat Preserve, guaranteeing more intact habitat for the area’s wildlife. The tribe and foundation intend to reopen access to two trails through the property that have been used by the Tübatulabal for millennia. The tribe has named the northeastern section Kwolokam, meaning “Duck Place.”

with the Tübatulabal Tribe.

WRC committed to purchase Fay Creek Ranch in 2021 and later secured funding from California’s Wildlife Conservation Board and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Last year, we successfully conserved the ranch by conveying 1,246 acres of its sacred ancestral lands to the Tübatulabal Tribe and 1,039 acres to the Kern

The Kern River’s remote, challenging surroundings offer a unique and invaluable expanse of natural, cultural and recreational richness, much within easy reach for a third of California’s population. Protecting this rare property is a tremendous gain for the region, for its fish and wildlife and for anyone seeking solace and solitude in nature.

The South Fork Kern River is home to its own subspecies of golden trout, the California golden trout (top). Between the South and North forks of the Kern, WRC conserved Fay Creek Ranch (right) in partnership

A CREATIVE CONSERVATION

PARTNERSHIP

IN MCLOUGHLIN CANYON

It’s rare to find a place in the Lower 48 with herds of mule deer, sockeye salmon runs, Canada lynx and human history dating back thousands of years, all in a stunning, ruggedly beautiful canyon setting. McLoughlin Falls Ranch, along the Okanogan River in eastern Washington, is just such a place.

In 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy permanently conserved McLoughlin Falls Ranch—727 spectacular acres along two miles of the Okanogan River—returning ancestral lands in the northern portion to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and conveying the southern half to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. WRC purchased the property in 2022, with a generous assist from Conservation Northwest, and held it while pulling together this special partnership and securing the funding needed to permanently protect the property in March 2023.

A major Columbia River tributary, the Okanogan River winds its way south of the US-Canada border, narrowing and tracing an ancient glacial path into McLoughlin Canyon. McLoughlin Falls Ranch, named for the Class II rapid off its banks, fronts the river within a landscape both vibrant and stark. Riverfront

stands of mature cottonwood, alder and willow are presided over by granite faces and terraces above, with windswept sagebrush benches and grassy slopes leading to flats and the water’s edge. Stately ponderosa pines are scattered throughout, appearing in places to be rooted in rock.

The ranch is part of a major migration corridor for mule deer moving through the lower Okanogan Valley between the high Cascade Mountains and Kettle River Range. The area hosts the country’s healthiest population of Canada lynx, as well as bighorn sheep and sharp-tailed grouse. The Okanogan itself supports one of only two self-sustaining sockeye runs remaining in the Columbia River Basin. The WDFW portion of the ranch will soon provide expanded public access for boaters, hikers, hunters, wildlife watchers and others.

Ancestors of the Colville Tribes traditionally fished at today’s McLoughlin Falls, and the lands returned to the tribes are steeped in historical and cultural significance. More recently, the ranch served as a stagecoach stop for miners and settlers. Conservation today ensures the history of this remarkable place continues to be written, with its natural and cultural values front and center.

Okanogan River

RIVER NAME

Washington STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

727 acres

RIVER MILES

2.2 miles

KEY ANIMALS

Canada lynx, sharp-tailed grouse, mule deer, black bear, Rocky Mountain elk

KEY FISH

sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, summer steelhead

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Where the Okanogan River flows through the spectacular McLoughlin Canyon, WRC successfully conserved McLoughlin Falls Ranch in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Together we protected two miles of the Okanogan River, excellent wildlife habitat and important cultural sites.

Within the scenic and historic McLoughlin Canyon, WRC conserved a 727-acre ranch that spans two miles of the Okanogan River (left). The property is a key piece of a major migration corridor and provides habitat for wildlife like Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (top).

Emigrant

Creek

RIVER NAME

Oregon STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

1,425 acres

RIVER MILES

0.8 mainstem, 2.2 tributary

KEY ANIMALS

mountain lion, black bear, wolves, elk, blacktail deer, peregrine falcon, golden eagle, great gray owl

KEY FISH

coho salmon, steelhead, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout

SAVING CREEKS AND WOODLANDS IN A GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT

At the convergence of three mountain ranges along the Oregon/California border, three distinct ecoregions collide, overlap and blend. The result is the much larger Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion, a spectacularly biodiverse and resilient ecological oasis of global significance dominated by the watersheds of the mighty Rogue and Klamath Rivers.

mixed-conifer forests of the adjacent Soda Mountain Wilderness with lower-elevation woodlands and grasslands leading into the Rogue Valley foothills. Sections of Emigrant Creek and three other upper Rogue River tributaries totaling three stream miles meander through the ranch, recharging coastal coho and steelhead spawning reaches downstream.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 2023, WRC worked to secure funding to protect Emigrant Creek Ranch, a 1,425-acre property at the convergence of the Klamath, Cascade and Siskiyou mountain ranges and within the boundaries of Southern Oregon’s CascadeSiskiyou National Monument. Our goal is to purchase the ranch and transfer it to the BLM to conserve rare oak woodlands and increase habitat connectivity in this globally important biodiversity hotspot.

A hiker explores Emigrant Creek (top), where WRC is working to conserve the 1,425-acre Emigrant Creek Ranch (right) by adding it to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Our efforts will conserve rare oak savanna and bolster habitat connectivity.

Formed where the east/west Siskiyou Mountains intersect with the north-to-south running Cascade and Klamath ranges, this remarkable landscape is recognized in part by the 114,000-acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The monument’s mosaic of habitats, sub-climates and topography accommodates a phenomenal range of species—many of them endemic and rare. Over 200 bird species, 130 butterfly species and 275 species of flowering plants are found there.

The country’s first monument created solely in the name of biodiversity, the CascadeSiskiyou’s designation also recognizes the region’s critically important connectivity, both within and between habitats. Maintaining the integrity of these habitats through impactful conservation today is essential to the future of the Cascade-Siskiyou.

In 2022, WRC signed an agreement to purchase Emigrant Creek Ranch within the monument’s western boundary. The ranch serves as a 1,425-acre habitat connection and migration corridor, linking the higher-elevation

About 1,200 acres of Emigrant Creek Ranch are oak savanna, a rapidly disappearing type of grassland that has been lost across 90 percent of its West Coast range. Oak savannas nurture rich grasslands and other plant communities and support all manner of species in the Cascade-Siskiyou, from Franklin’s bumblebee to Roosevelt elk. WRC will convey Emigrant Creek Ranch to the Bureau of Land Management, permanently protecting its vital linkages and enhancing recreational opportunities for hikers, hunters and even history buffs: a stretch of the Applegate Trail—a spur off the California National Historic Trail—runs through the property, with the original road grade and wagon ruts still visible today.

In 2023, WRC worked together with natural resource agencies to secure funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Conserving Emigrant Creek Ranch will bolster habitat connectivity throughout an essential section of the national monument, supporting biodiversity and resilience in one of the West’s truly incomparable landscapes.

CONSERVING A COLD-WATER SAVINGS VAULT FOR THE DOLORES RIVER

Many of the West’s healthiest mountain streams owe at least part of that distinction to the presence of wetland meadows. Like cold-water savings vaults, wetland meadows collect and store snowmelt and rain in spring, then gradually release cold, clean flows into adjoining rivers and creeks during late summer and early fall, when stream systems—and fish—need them most. Wet meadows recharge vital groundwater and filter out silt and excess nutrients that, in turn, enrich soils for grasses, shrubs and trees that provide essential habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife.

Native trout are steady indicators of the health of rivers and creeks, so it follows that stream systems with intact wetland meadows should have strong populations. That is certainly the case high in the San Miguel Mountains of southwestern Colorado at the headwaters of the renowned Dolores River, where a prized 160-acre inholding known as Dunton Meadows supplies cold, clean water to some of the best habitat around for imperiled Colorado River cutthroat trout.

Recognizing the importance of this small but critically important property, Western Rivers Conservancy set out to protect Dunton Meadows in 2021, and successfully purchased the property in 2023. We have since secured

funding that will allow us to convey the property to the San Juan National Forest in late 2024, forever protecting this life-giving meadow in the Dolores River’s headwaters. Positioned just off the southern edge of the popular Lizard Head Wilderness, Dunton Meadows opens out across a spectacular high-elevation saddle in the shadow of the 14,200-foot Mount Wilson, surrounded by high ridges and peaks and bordered by national forest on all sides.

Just off its eastern edge, Dunton Meadows drains into Coal Creek—a Colorado River cutthroat stronghold—five miles upstream of its confluence with the mainstem Dolores River. Meadow Creek, another Dolores River tributary and popular fly fishing stream, meanders through the property’s western corner.

Several trails cross or begin at Dunton Meadows, and the property’s proximity to the Lizard Head Wilderness greatly enhances recreation opportunity there as well. When WRC conveys Dunton Meadows to the San Juan National Forest it will be a major win for both conservation and recreation in one of southwest Colorado’s truly great mountain settings.

Dolores River

RIVER NAME

Colorado STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

160 acres

RIVER MILES

0.3 miles

KEY ANIMALS

Rocky Mountain elk, black bear, mule deer, Canada lynx, American marten

KEY FISH

Colorado River cutthroat trout

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WRC purchased the prized Dunton Meadows property, situated high in the San Juan National Forest between the East and West forks of the Dolores River. We plan to convey the property to the San Juan National Forest to permanently protect its wetland meadows and support some of the richest Colorado River cutthroat trout habitat in the upper Dolores basin.

WRC is working to conserve Dunton Meadows (left), a 160-acre inholding in the San Juan National Forest that supplies cold, clean water for imperiled Colorado River cutthroat trout (top).

Racetrack Creek

RIVER NAME

Montana

STATE

KEY FACTS

PROJECT SIZE

121 acres

RIVER MILES

1 mile

KEY ANIMALS

wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, moose, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer

KEY FISH

brown trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Last year, in southwest Montana, WRC purchased the last remaining private inholding on Racetrack Creek, a major tributary to the Clark Fork River. Our efforts will conserve a mile of the stream and prime habitat for moose, mule deer, black bear and other wildlife, while safeguarding the area’s natural and recreational integrity.

NEW ACQUISITION ON A MAJOR CLARK FORK RIVER TRIBUTARY

In 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy purchased the lone remaining private inholding along upper Racetrack Creek in southwest Montana’s Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. A major tributary to the Clark Fork River, Racetrack Creek courses 23 miles from high in the Flint Creek Mountains to the Deer Lodge Valley floor. The 121-acre inholding— known as The Oxbows—spans a full mile of rich, verdant river habitat, where Racetrack Creek transitions from high-gradient to a slower meander through the valley foothills. Our goal is to convey The Oxbows property to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, permanently conserving this pivotal connection along Racetrack Creek.

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is part of the High Divide—a vast high-country hub connecting essential migratory corridors between three of the most intact, massive mountain ecosystems in North America. The long-term health and recovery of species like grizzlies, moose and wolverines hinges on intact habitat connections throughout the High Divide, meaning conservation of vital islands of transitional habitats like The Oxbows is critical.

In 2023, WRC purchased the last 121-acre private inholding along upper Racetrack Creek (top). The property contains a mile of the stream and prime habitat for large animals like moose (right), black bear and mule deer.

Transition zones like The Oxbows are special places. They contain diverse habitat assemblages that, in turn, support a diverse array of insects, plants and wildlife. At The Oxbows, Racetrack Creek spills out into an idyllic shallow canyon, meandering through lush stands of willow and wetlands accented by vividly feathered songbirds and seasonal wildflowers. Cold, clean flows, ample woody debris and a gentle grade provide ideal rearing habitat for native westslope cutthroat trout. Moose, black bear and mule deer all frequent the area, and gray wolves and grizzlies are known to roam through as well.

Conserving The Oxbows also ensures the adjacent Racetrack Campground and Picnic Area remains serene and easily accessible. As the only campground in the area, the site is popular during hunting season and offers easy access to trout fishing on Racetrack Creek. In more ways than one, our work at The Oxbows is a perfect example of the tangible and immensely valuable impact of strategic riverland conservation—and what it means for fish, wildlife and people alike.

McDermitt Creek

SAVING A KEY POPULATION OF GREAT BASIN LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT

AACCOMPLISHMENTS

WRC worked throughout last year to secure permanent funding to conserve Disaster Peak Ranch and its 19 miles of stream habitat for imperiled Lahontan cutthroat trout. Our efforts will also protect habitat for greater sage-grouse and other wildlife.

s the massive Lake Lahontan started receding 13,000 years ago, it began forming a diverse array of lakes, seeps and streams across present-day Nevada, southeast Oregon and northeastern California. These places would become part of the Great Basin and the native habitat of the lake’s namesake fish, the Lahontan cutthroat trout. As iconic to these landscapes as sagebrush, basalt and pronghorn, wild Lahontans now persist in only about 10 percent of their historic range, tenaciously hanging on in pockets of isolated, cold streams scattered across the basin.

Great Basin of northern Nevada and southern Oregon. The longtime cattle ranch is bisected by McDermitt Creek, which meanders from Oregon’s Trout Creek Mountains into northern Nevada and the Quinn River Basin. McDermitt Creek is special because its Lahontan population has remained genetically pure despite potential for hybridization with non-native trout. With 19 stream miles on the ranch itself and connectivity to a total of 55, there is no better single opportunity to protect and restore an essential Lahontan stronghold.

Disaster Peak Ranch includes 18 miles of McDermitt Creek (top), one of the last Quinn River basin strongholds for Lahontan cutthroat trout, and habitat for wildlife like greater sage-grouse (inset).

Big-picture, long-term recovery of Lahontan cutthroat lies within the purview of many, but ensuring the persistence of the species across its dispersed subpopulations demands strategic conservation of the last intact habitats and populations. That is why, over four years ago, Western Rivers Conservancy went all-in on McDermitt Creek—one of the Lahontan cutthroat’s last remaining Quinn River Basin strongholds.

In 2020, WRC purchased Disaster Peak Ranch, a 3,345-acre sagebrush steppe oasis of nearly limitless conservation opportunity in the

In 2023, we positioned the property to accept federal funding, which will allow us to repay our loan and conserve the ranch outright. WRC will continue its work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, BLM, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Nevada Department of Wildlife to develop a conservation overlay for the property. Mineral exploration in the area will undoubtedly continue, but, thankfully, our efforts will forever protect Disaster Peak Ranch and its stretch of McDermitt Creek, helping anchor the hopes for Lahontan cutthroat to thrive again in its native streams.

TAKING THE FINAL STEPS TO PROTECT THE LIFELINE OF THE KLAMATH RIVER

In 2006, Western Rivers Conservancy launched what has become one of the most important land conservation efforts in California history: The creation of the 47,000acre Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and Yurok Tribal Community Forest, on the lower Klamath River. To do this, we partnered with the Yurok Tribe to purchase a Manhattan-size swath of temperate rainforest from Green Diamond Resource Company, in the heart of redwood country, and convey it to the Yurok. We now stand at the cusp of completing this nearly two-decade effort, which will conserve the entire lower, unprotected half of Blue Creek, the cold-water lifeline of the Klamath River. For the Klamath’s salmon, at the moment of the historic removal of the river’s four mainstem dams, this is a project of immeasurable importance. Blue Creek provides the first influx of cold water on the lower Klamath. Without the cool-down it provides, salmon could never reach their up-river spawning grounds, a fact that has become exponentially more meaningful now that hundreds of miles of historic salmon habitat will reopen above the dams.

Bringing a project of this scale to fruition— at a cost of $60 million—has required creative, cutting-edge conservation finance strategies, including New Markets Tax Credits and selling carbon offsets, in addition to the millions we raised from individuals, foundations and state and federal agencies.

In 2023, we buttoned up the final details of two of our funding strategies, including one that required WRC to hold a portion of the lands for a forbearance period that has come to a close. We are now poised to convey the final 14,968 acres to the Yurok in 2024. Once that happens, we all can rest safely knowing that Blue Creek will be permanently protected. That means that salmon, the keystone species of the entire Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion, will always be able to cool down at Blue Creek—a must if they are to reach the upper river to spawn.

Blue Creek

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Last year, WRC continued its nearly two-decade effort to conserve the unprotected lower half of Blue Creek, the lifeline of the Klamath River, by conveying 47,000 acres of temperate rainforest to the Yurok Tribe. It will be a pivotal accomplishment as four mainstem dams come out on the Klamath.

With the Yurok Tribe, WRC is poised to complete conservation of 47,000 acres along the lower Klamath (top) and Blue Creek, which salmon (inset) depend on to cool their body temperatures.

Antoine Creek

AN INNOVATIVE REVIVAL OF AN OKANOGAN RIVER STEELHEAD STREAM

IACCOMPLISHMENTS

WRC revived a critical steelhead stream by conserving Antoine Valley Ranch in partnership with the Colville Tribes, increasing stream flows in this Okanogan River tributary by up to 90 percent. We conserved expansive shrub-steppe habitat and returned ancestral lands to the tribes.

WRC’s efforts at Antoine Creek (top) will recover Upper Columbia summer steelhead (inset) in this tributary to the Okanogan River.

n September 2023, Western Rivers Conservancy and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation permanently conserved Antoine Valley Ranch in Eastern Washington, renewing hopes for an imperiled run of summer steelhead in the Okanogan River. In the process, we returned 2,524 acres of ancestral lands to the Colville Tribes, who are now returning critical flows to Antoine Creek, a prime spawning tributary to the Okanogan.

WRC purchased the ranch in late 2020 with support from the Washington Streamflow Restoration Program. We immediately transferred half of the ranch to the Colville Tribes and held the second half while working to raise the remaining funds to convey it to the tribes. In September 2023, after securing additional funding through the Streamflow Restoration Program, we successfully conveyed the second half of the property into Colville ownership.

Antoine Valley Ranch includes 2.5 miles of Antoine Creek, which has been deemed a “crown jewel” for recovering ESA-listed Upper Columbia summer steelhead in the Okanogan River. Like

many of the Okanogan’s spawning tributaries, the creek ran lethally low and warm, reducing steelhead returns to almost nothing. But with the ranch owned by the Colville Tribes, and with technical assistance from Trout Unlimited, its water rights will now be managed to keep far more water in-stream for fish.

To do this, tribal fishery managers are employing an innovative water strategy of retaining an upriver earthen dam to use as a tool for putting water back into Antoine Creek. (The dam lies above the reach of steelhead.)

The Colville will now use the dam to release strategic pulses of cold water into the creek, increasing flows up to 90 percent for fish. Plus, colder flows in the creek will help cool the mainstem Okanogan as well.

Extensive in-stream, riparian and upland restoration is also planned for the property, which includes excellent habitat for imperiled Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and mule deer, along with sandhill crane, bobcat and great blue heron.

LANDSCAPE-SCALE CONSERVATION IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY

Above the San Luis Valley, upper La Jara Creek is a quintessential mountain meadow stream banked by grasslands and wildflowers, with forests and spectacular canyonlands at opposite sides of the landscape. Cultural sites show human habitation in the area for at least 5,000 years, and local families have been part of the landscape for generations. Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and Rio Grande cutthroat trout are all residents. Here in the La Jara Basin, at the edge of the San Juan Mountains, the Colorado State Land Board owns a vast swath of land—45,685 acres and 30 stream miles—centered on La Jara Creek. When the board decided it needed to dispose of the property, it approached WRC to shape a conservation solution that would keep these lands intact, managed for fish and wildlife and permanently open to all. WRC entered into an agreement with the SLB and began the process of securing funding to permanently place this special landscape into conservation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

The embodiment of landscape-scale conservation, the beauty of WRC’s plan for the La Jara is the way the pieces come together. Each partnering natural resource agency will manage the areas that play to their strengths. Forestlands on the west side will be managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Ridges and canyons to the east will be managed by the BLM. And Colorado Parks and Wildlife will manage the central meadow section, including its creeks, native fishery and the popular La Jara Reservoir. Conservation-compatible grazing by local families will continue, as will public access for recreation. Once full funding is secured and management plans are complete, each agency will take ownership from the State Land Board. Meanwhile, WRC is the engine keeping the project moving forward.

La Jara Basin

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WRC continued its work to deliver a conservation future for the vast La Jara Basin by orchestrating the conveyance of 45,685 acres of the upper San Luis Valley to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM.

WRC is working with agency partners to conserve the vast La Jara Basin, including reaches of Jim Creek (top) and La Jara Creek. The basin is home to wildlife like Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (inset).

Panther Creek

PROTECTING PRIME SALMON HABITAT ON A NEWLY REVIVED RIVER

IACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 2023, WRC worked to secure funding from the Land and Water Conservation fund to permanently protect another critical stretch of Panther Creek, including spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead, and a stretch of the Idaho Birding Trail.

Panther Creek (top) is part of the Idaho Birding Trail, and its riparian areas are home to black-headed grosbeak (inset), Lewis’s woodpeckers and western wood-pewees.

daho’s Panther Creek—a major tributary to the legendary Salmon River—represents one of the great comebacks of the greater Snake River Basin. Decades of toxic mining runoff left Panther Creek largely devoid of life. Gone were the seasonal pulses of salmon appearing year after year to spawn, their carcasses nourishing everything from golden eagles to lodgepole pines. Intensive restoration efforts that began in the mid-1990s, however, have greatly improved water quality. Spring Chinook salmon have since returned to Panther Creek, renewing life in a vital stream once thought to be lost. Western Rivers Conservancy has worked since 2020 to bolster the remarkable gains made in Panther Creek, and to set the stage for even more. That work continued through 2023.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the U.S. Forest Service have led restoration on Panther Creek and have identified priority riverlands with tremendous restoration potential for spawning salmon and steelhead. The lowgradient, calm-water characteristics of ideal

spawning habitat, however, can make attractive properties for homesites and development, too. In 2020, WRC purchased one such parcel— a 110-acre inholding including nearly a mile of Panther Creek—and held it until it could be conveyed to the Salmon-Challis National Forest in 2022. That same year we purchased a 448-acre property with nearly another mile of river frontage. We held the property throughout 2023 while working to secure funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to convey it to the U.S. Forest Service in early 2024. Renewal of a salmon stream never stops at water’s edge. Panther Creek is also part of the Idaho Birding Trail, where in its riparian areas one might spot Wilson’s warblers, Lewis’s woodpeckers and even western wood-pewees— species that a few years ago may have flown elsewhere to find a healthy home.

ADDING HABITAT AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO THE BIG BEND WILDLIFE AREA

No great river’s story is confined to its main channel. They all lie at the heart of something much bigger. The Columbia River, for example, is as much about the countless places that its waters have reached, shaped or nurtured over millennia as it is about the monumental mainstem itself.

Big Bend in Eastern Washington is one of those places. Overlooking the Columbia River from high flats carved by ancient ice, Big Bend is a sweeping gooseneck bend on the Columbia with breathtaking, expansive views and habitat assemblages emblematic of the region. Its arid landscape of basalt cliffs, deep draws and sagebrush steppe is accented by seasonal streams, spring-fed wetlands and scattered stands of ponderosa pine. Big Bend lies 14 miles northeast of Grand Coulee and across the river from the 1.4 million-acre Colville Reservation.

In 2022, Western Rivers Conservancy set out to conserve a pivotal property along Big Bend, signing an agreement to purchase the 2,135-acre Big Bend Ranch, including 1.5 miles of Columbia River frontage. Our next step is to secure

funding that will allow us to convey the ranch to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for inclusion and protection within the spectacular 22,121-acre Big Bend Wildlife Area.

Big Bend hosts an abundance of birds, including waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, neotropical migrants and raptors.

The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse—one of Washington’s most imperiled species—is one of four grouse varieties found on the ranch. Mule deer, black bear and cougar roam freely there, too. The addition of Big Bend Ranch to the wildlife area will greatly enhance recreation opportunities, including hiking, hunting, biking, wildlife watching and horseback riding.

Big Bend’s story will continue to evolve— through the forces of nature, as people work to bring back salmon to these upper reaches, and as we together conserve special places like Big Bend Ranch. WRC is proud to contribute in our unique way, ensuring conservation along Big Bend rolls on.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Last year, WRC signed an agreement to purchase Big Bend Ranch, including 1.5 miles of Columbia River frontage, with the goal of conveying the ranch to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for inclusion and protection within the Big Bend Wildlife Area.

WRC is working to conserve the Big Bend Ranch (top and inset) by adding it to the WDFW’s Big Bend Wildlife Area.

Selway River

PRESERVING THE INTEGRITY OF A GREAT WILD AND SCENIC RIVER

IACCOMPLISHMENTS

In an effort to preserve the natural and scenic splendor along a stretch of the Selway River, WRC worked throughout 2023 to secure funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to transfer the Selway River Ranch to the U.S. Forest Service.

n a state whose natural identity and renown have been largely—and literally—shaped by some of the great wild rivers of the West, Idaho’s Selway River stands out. From its origins high in the Bitterroot Mountains the Selway plunges, rolls and glides westward for 93 miles, much of that through the 1.8 million-acre SelwayBitterroot Wilderness. Winding out of the wilderness, the Selway meets the Lochsa River, where they combine to form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater. One of the original eight rivers designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, the Selway is a true wild river, a haven for Chinook salmon, westslope cutthroat, bull trout and summer steelhead. The corridor is home to bald eagles, Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep, Canada lynx and grizzly bears. Underscoring just how pristine the Selway is, the U.S. Forest Service grants only one rafting permit per day.

meadow habitat bordering nearly a mile of the Selway’s western bank, the ranch could have been developed into four homesites, but our goal is to conserve the parcel by conveying it to the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests for permanent protection. Throughout 2023, we worked to secure funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to transfer the property to the U.S. Forest Service by 2025.

WRC’s conservation of Selway River Ranch— which also includes about three-quarters of a mile of a small tributary called Elk City Creek— will help maintain the integrity of the Wild and Scenic Selway River corridor, and a viewshed enjoyed by boaters, anglers, hikers and others. WRC is proud to join in the legacy of conservation that has helped keep the Selway River and its treasures intact.

The Selway River (top) is one of the West’s most intact wild rivers, where only one raft trip per day is permitted (inset).

In the Selway’s home stretch through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, a small number of private inholdings remain. In 2022, WRC purchased one of the most significant: the 152-acre Selway River Ranch. With its natural

EMERALD WATERS, STEELHEAD AND THE NORTH UMPQUA TRAIL

Sometimes a river just gets a hold of people, and pulses quicken with anticipation on return trips as familiar vistas and vivid memories start coming back into view. Oregon’s North Umpqua River has this effect on many—especially steelhead anglers, but countless others, too. With its lush forests and translucent emerald pools concealing mystical summer steelhead, the North Umpqua is a singularly special place. It offers critical habitat for threatened coho as well as Chinook salmon, and its diverse old-growth forests provide nesting habitat for critters like threatened northern spotted owls.

In 2023, we successfully secured funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and purchased 220 acres and a mile of North Umpqua frontage from Douglas County and then conveyed it to the BLM for conservation within the wild and scenic river corridor. The lands we conserved sit upstream of the 211-acre Swiftwater tract we protected in 2017, which also included roughly a mile of river frontage. Both of these properties lie within

the North Umpqua’s 33.8-mile wild and scenic river corridor and its fabled fly water section, and they include access to the 79-mile North Umpqua Trail. This river-front trail is beloved by hikers and is one of the country’s great long-distance mountain bike trails.

Our recent efforts on the North Umpqua came at a critical moment. In September 2020, the Archie Creek Fire swept through the river corridor and much of Douglas County, scorching more than 131,000 acres of forest, including stands of old-growth. WRC was under contract with Douglas County prior to the fires, and, despite their impact, was able to convey the parcels to the BLM in 2023. Under BLM ownership, these lands are now forever protected, and the forests on them will be able to recover naturally for future generations of fish, wildlife and people, and to shade the emerald waters of the North Umpqua River.

North

Umpqua River

RIVER NAME

Oregon STATE

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Deepening our impact on the North Umpqua River, WRC purchased 220 acres and a mile of North Umpqua River frontage and conveyed the lands to the BLM for permanent conservation within the North Umpqua Wild and Scenic River corridor.

A hiker explores the North Umpqua River (top), which is famed for its steelhead and cold, clean, emerald water. River otters (inset) are a regular sight on the North Umpqua.

SAVING SALMON HABITAT AND REDWOODS IN WINE COUNTRY

Gualala River

Central

California’s Gualala River courses 40 undammed miles from the Coast Range through swaths of redwood forests and oak woodlands to the Pacific. In an area best known for its vineyards, it supports critical populations of endangered Central California Coast coho salmon and threatened Northern California Coast winter steelhead.

Since 2015, Western Rivers Conservancy has worked to conserve the 4,440-acre Silva Ranch along the Wheatfield Fork Gualala, the largest of the river’s three forks. Last year, we successfully placed a conservation easement over the ranch, protecting 40 acres of invaluable old-growth redwood forest and 2,600 acres of mixed hardwood forest and oak woodlands. The easement also preserves a key reach of the Wheatfield Fork and a series of cold creeks that nourish spawning reaches downstream.

The easement will be held in perpetuity by the California Rangeland Trust, and the Silva family will continue to sustainably manage parts of the ranch for timber and livestock. Meanwhile, the property’s critically important river habitat, redwoods, woodlands and rangelands remain intact for fish and wildlife, including a little-known fish called the Gualala roach, which is found nowhere else in the world.

CONSERVING RIVERLAND IN AND AROUND THE DOMINGUEZ-ESCALANTE

Gunnison River

Inits home stretch through western Colorado before joining the Colorado River, the Gunnison River widens and slows, ambling through a stunning and stark desert landscape with sheer stratified walls, rocky slopes and mesas, and soothing ribbons of green along the water.

The 210,172-acre Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area encompasses 30 miles of this remarkable Gunnison River reach, but significant private holdings in and around the NCA have long left some areas vulnerable. Since 2010, WRC has purchased and conveyed five such properties to the BLM for protection within the NCA and the neighboring Bangs Canyon Special Recreation Management Area.

Last year we conveyed our sixth property, a small but important 27-acre parcel called Meridian Junction. WRC purchased the property in 2014, then held it for nearly 10 years, until it could finally be conveyed to the BLM. With the transfer of the Meridian Junction property complete, we’ve now conserved more than eight irreplaceable miles of the Gunnison River on and adjacent to the NCA and Bangs Canyon.

RIVER NAME

RIVER NAME

A HUNDRED-MILE HABITAT WIN FOR THE HOOD RIVER

West Fork Hood River

PARTNERING WITH THE UMATILLA TO SAVE A VITAL FLOODPLAIN

Umatilla River STATE Oregon STATE Oregon

Building on our 10-year effort to protect the much-loved Punchbowl Falls property at the confluence of the East and West forks of the Hood River, WRC has shifted our focus upstream to our West Fork Hood River project. We now have the rare opportunity to safeguard habitat along 100 miles of rivers and streams across an area covering some 36 square miles by placing a conservation easement on the 19,079-acre Mid-Columbia Tree Farm, owned by Green Diamond Resource Company.

Having secured funding through the Forest Legacy Program, WRC is now navigating state and federal processes to ensure the tree farm will be managed as a sustainable forest. Once in place, the easement will double timber setbacks along 100 miles of stream, including seven miles of the West Fork Hood and two miles of the Middle Fork. It will also ensure these lands remain forestlands and open to recreational access in a rapidly growing part of the state, where habitat and access to rivers and the great outdoors are of tremendous importance.

Oregon’s

Umatilla River flows 89 miles from the Blue Mountains across the Columbia Plateau to the Columbia River, near Pendleton. For decades, the Umatilla ran dry during irrigation season, and its salmon and steelhead stopped returning. Due largely to the work of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), numbers of both have been steadily building back.

WRC signed an agreement to place a conservation easement over 991 acres at the confluence of the lower Umatilla River and Birch Creek, the Umatilla’s most prolific steelhead tributary. The Umatilla Floodplain property, with two miles of the Umatilla River and one mile on both sides of Birch Creek, will soon be the site of the most significant floodplain restoration project in the Umatilla River Basin. WRC’s continued work to protect this critical confluence will allow this work to move forward.

The Umatilla Floodplain project builds on WRC’s partnership with the CTUIR dating back to 2015, when we conveyed a property on Catherine Creek to the tribes, which resulted in one of the most significant salmon habitat recovery projects in the Columbia Basin.

RIVER NAME

RIVER NAME

B OARD OF D IRECTORS

Jim Smith, CHAIR

DENVER, CO

Carter MacNichol, VICE CHAIR

PORTLAND, OR

Eric Adema

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Bill Brown

SEATTLE, WA

Allen Damon

NASHVILLE, TN

Ken Grossman CHICO, CA

Rich Hasslacher MILL VALLEY, CA

Lynn Loacker PORTLAND, OR

Nan McKay SEATTLE, WA

Liam Thorton PARK CITY, UT

Bruce Williams

PARADISE VALLEY, AZ

Tim Wood

LAKE OSWEGO, OR

Denise Wulfekuhle

SEATTLE, WA

Directors Emeriti

Betsy Jewett

Darcy Saiget

Jon Roush

Peter Moyle

Robert B. Anderson

Henry Little

Jack Williams

Norbert Wellman

Cleve Pinnix

Phil Wallin

Bay Area Advisory Committee

Eric Adema

Chris Brand

Tom Counts

Kyle Dowman

Sam Evers

Rich Hasslacher

Henry Little

Zach Patton

George Revel

Lisa Yao

S TAFF

Sue Doroff, PRESIDENT

Nelson Mathews, VICE PRESIDENT

Alex Barton, PROJECT MANAGER

Dechen Bartso, PARALEGAL

Ellen Bernstein, INDIVIDUAL GIVING & OPERATIONS MANAGER

Jake Campbell, DONOR RELATIONS OFFICER

Peter Colby, CALIFORNIA PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Jim Cox, DIRECTOR OF DONOR RELATIONS

Susanna Danner, PROJECT MANAGER

Elijah Dwoskin, ASSOCIATE PROJECT MANAGER

Jeannette Faber, FINANCE & HR SPECIALIST

Juliette Harding, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Elise Herron, DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Jessica Inwood, PROJECT MANAGER

Josh Kling, CONSERVATION DIRECTOR

Allen Law, PROJECT MANAGER

Mik McKee, STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR

Natalie Mottley, SENIOR DONOR RELATIONS OFFICER

Danny Palmerlee, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Brian Smith, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Anne Tattam, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION RELATIONS

Julie Turrini, CORPORATE COUNSEL

Heidi Wilcox, DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION & CORPORATE RELATIONS

P ROGRAM PARTNERS

3Degrees

American Whitewater

Audubon Washington

Blue Mountain Land Trust

Bonneville Power Administration

CAL FIRE

California Coastal Conservancy

California Council of Land Trusts

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

California Trout

California Wildlife Conservation Board

The Climate Trust

Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts

Coast Salmon Partnership

Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program

Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Colorado Open Lands

Colorado State Land Board

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs

Conservation Northwest

Deschutes Land Trust

Douglas County, Oregon

Esselen Tribe of Monterey County

Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria

Friends of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge

Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument

Forest Investment Associates

Foster Garvey

Gilliam County Soil and Water Conservation District

Gilliam County Weedmaster

GJ Livestock

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Green Diamond Resource Company

Great Outdoors Colorado

Great Western Malting Company

Gualala River Watershed Council

Hoh River Trust

Hood River County

Hood River Valley Residents Committee

Hood River Watershed Group

Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts

Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Idaho Department of Water Resources

Idaho Rivers United

Idaho Water Resources Board

Kern River Valley Heritage Foundation

Kittitas County, WA

Land Trust Alliance

Law of the Rockies

Manulife Investment Management

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

National Wildlife Refuge Association

Natural Resource Results

Nevada Department of Wildlife

Nevada Division of State Lands

The Nez Perce Tribe

NOAA Fisheries

North Santiam Watershed Council

Okanogan Conservation District

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Desert Land Trust

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Oregon State Weed Board

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

Oregon Department of State Lands

Oregon Youth Conservation Corps

PacifiCorp

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Pacific Northwest Trail Association

Pacific County Visitors Bureau

Red’s Fly Shop

Resources Law Group

Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust

Rio Grande Water Conservation District

River Partners

The Sawtooth Society

Sherman County Soil and Water Conservation District

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Sierra Nevada Conservancy

Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District

Tide SW Foundation

Trout Unlimited

Tübatulabals of Kern Valley

U.S. Bureau of Land Management

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

U.S. Forest Service

U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service

Washington Association of Land Trusts

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington Department of Ecology

Washington Department of Natural Resources

Washington State Parks

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office

Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board

Weyerhaeuser

Wyss Foundation

Yakama Nation

Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board

Yurok Tribe

& 5:

P6

P14: Tom and Pat

P22 & 23:

P7:

; P16 & 17: Tyler

P24:

P18:

P25:

P8 & 9: Tyler Roemer; P10 & 11:

; P19:

P12:

P4

David Dines;

(top right): Jordan Siemens;

Jordan Siemens;

Sage Brown;

Christi Bode;

Leeson

Roemer;

Michael Carl

Kodiak Greenwood; P20: Ellen Bishop; P21: Linda Arndt;

Tyler Roemer;

Christi Bode;

Patrick Clayton/Engbretson Undwater Photography; P26: Kyle Dudgeon; P28 (top): Ellen Bishop; P29 (top): Peter Marbach; P29 (inset): Thomas Dunklin; P30 (top): Ellen Bishop; P30 (inset): Mary Edwards; P31 (top): Christi Bode; P32 (top): Steve Dondero P33 (both): Tyler Roemer; P34 (top): Steve Dondero; P34 (inset): Ellen Bernstein; P35 (top): Tyler Roemer; P35 (inset): Tom and Pat Leeson; P36 (left): Jason Hartwick; P36 (right): Rich Durnan; P37 (left): Tyler Roemer; P37 (right): Ellen Bishop