Winter 2022 Riverlands Newsletter - Issue 51

McLoughlin Falls Ranch

In Northern California’s wine country, WRC is on the verge of conserving a critical stretch of the Wheatfield Fork Gualala River in a region where salmon and steelhead habitat has been disappearing exponentially over the last century.

The Wheatfield Fork is the largest of three major tributaries of the mainstem Gualala, a superb, free-flowing stream that courses through majestic redwood forests on its 40mile journey to the Pacific. The Wheatfield Fork provides cold water and crucial habitat for winter steelhead and coho salmon, populations that are dwindling throughout the state.

WRC’s efforts on the Gualala River system began in 2015, when we set our sights on conserving the 4,344-acre Silva Ranch. The property contains a stretch of the Wheatfield Fork Gualala and a series of headwater creeks—more than six miles of cold-water, fish-bearing streams in all. With over 40 acres of old-growth redwoods and 2,600 acres of oak woodland and grassland, the ranch also provides crucial habitat for wildlife like northern spotted owl, bald eagle, white-tailed kite and red-legged frog.

By year-end, WRC and the California Rangeland Trust will have succeeded in conserving Silva Ranch by placing a conservation easement over the property. With the easement in place, we will have upped the odds for numerous threatened and endangered species. We’ll also improve habitat connectivity at a landscape scale thanks to Silva Ranch’s location adjacent to 75,000 acres of already protected lands.

Due to its prime location, Silva Ranch was highly vulnerable to development and intensive agricultural production. The easement instead keeps the property’s ancient redwoods, woodlands, grasslands and fresh-water streams permanently intact.

With fish and wildlife habitat on Silva Ranch protected, California’s redwood coast will be gaining another critical refuge for native fish and wildlife, an outcome that meets the needs of conservation, people and the health of the entire Gualala River basin. g

TYLER ROEMER

WINTER 2022

NEWS FROM WESTERN RIVERS CONSERVANCY

ISSUE 51

Prized Stretch of the Okanogan to be Protected Forever

This Issue: Okanogan River, WA

In north-central Washington, WRC is on the cusp of conserving a crucial stretch of the Okanogan.

Conservation Northwest was a critical partner and funder of this project.

WRC will soon convey an exquisite piece of McLoughlin Canyon to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to conserve an outstanding stretch of the Okanogan.

Washington

I McLoughlin Falls Ranch forms a key piece of one of Washington’s most important wildlife movement corridors and is home to charisimatic animals like sharp-tailed grouse (pictured), Canada lynx and bighorn sheep.

(503) 241-0151

INTERIOR WEST (303) 645-4953

CALIFORNIA (415) 767-2001

WASHINGTON (360) 528-2012

n north-central Washington, Western Rivers Conservancy is on the cusp of permanently protecting two miles of the Okanogan River and a key piece of one of the state’s most important wildlife corridors. In the coming months, we will convey the 727-acre McLoughlin Falls Ranch to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In doing so, we will conserve critical habitat for fish and wildlife, return ancestral lands

Dolores River, CO

WRC continues its efforts to preserve habitat and safeguard public access at Dunton Meadows.

Willapa Bay, WA

New project on the West Coast’s second-largest estuary will protect a stretch of the Bear River and a vital coastal forest.

McLoughlin Falls Ranch

PORTLAND

www.westernrivers.org

supports one of only two self-sustaining runs of sockeye salmon left in the Columbia Basin, as well as Chinook and steelhead populations that are still hanging on.

In addition to its excellent habitat, McLoughlin Falls Ranch is prized for its historical and cultural values. The property is an ancestral fishing site for the Colville Tribes, and more recent artifacts on the property point to its history as a stagecoach stop for miners and settlers.

For recreationists, conservation of McLoughlin Falls Ranch will mean improved access to a beautiful stretch of the Okanogan River. Boaters will be permitted to stop and rest or picnic near the property’s namesake falls, and hikers will be able to explore a new trail that WDFW plans to create through the ranch.

Once WRC transferrs McLoughlin Falls Ranch to the Colville Tribes and WDFW, the property will forever be managed for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people, including those who’ve had ties to this land since time immemorial.

ELLEN BISHOP

SUCCESS AHEAD! Gualala River

Originating in Canada’s Okanagan Lake, the Okanogan River flows 115 miles through oblong lakes, low rolling hills, expanses of sagebrush and stands of ponderosa pines, eventually emptying into the Columbia River. 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 a property called McLoughlin Falls Ranch.

Named after a hearty Class II rapid called McLoughlin Falls, the ranch forms 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, sharptailed grouse and the country’s healthiest population of Canada lynx.

McLoughlin Falls Ranch possesses healthy stands of riparian forests that shade the river and help keep water temperatures low along this stretch of the river. Despite pressure from damming and water diversions, the Okanogan

LINDA ARNDT

JASON HARTWICK

CONTINUED FROM COVER

to the Colville Tribes, and deliver new recreational access to a spectacular reach of McLoughlin Canyon.

The southern portion of the ranch will go to WDFW, and the larger northern portion, with its sensitive cultural sites, will go to the Colville Tribes. This unique outcome means that WDFW and the Colville will be able to manage the land as partners and deliver a three-way win for conservation, recreation and members of the Colville Tribes.

CONTINUED ON BACK

Big Hole River, MT

In the upper Big Hole Valley, WRC works to conserve critical reaches of high mountain tributary streams.

Gualala River, CA

WRC approaches the finish line in effort to save salmon and steelhead habitat on California’s Central Coast.

Montana

Conserving a Life Source for Willapa Bay

Saving Meadows and Creeks for the Big Hole River

Willapa Bay Washington

Protecting a Cold-Water Savings Vault for the Dolores River Dolores River Colorado

JORDAN SIEMENS

T

he 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. g

Two hikers explore a stretch of the Bear River that WRC is working to conserve.

Our goal is to purchase the Willapa Coastal Forest property (pictured) and add it to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge for restoration and permanent protection.

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

One of the small but critically important rivers flowing into Willapa Bay, the Bear River supports populations of chum, Chinook, coho, steelhead, Pacific lamprey and sea-run cutthroat trout.

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. g

TYLER ROEMER

The Dunton Meadows property includes broad wetlands that drain to a stream called Coal Creek, a Dolores River tributary that provides excellent habitat for imperiled Colorado River cutthroat trout (pictured).

V

isiting 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 2,394-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.

TYLER ROEMER

PATRICK CLAYTON

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 twopronged 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. g

Montana

Conserving a Life Source for Willapa Bay

Saving Meadows and Creeks for the Big Hole River

Willapa Bay Washington

Protecting a Cold-Water Savings Vault for the Dolores River Dolores River Colorado

JORDAN SIEMENS

T

he 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. g

Two hikers explore a stretch of the Bear River that WRC is working to conserve.

Our goal is to purchase the Willapa Coastal Forest property (pictured) and add it to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge for restoration and permanent protection.

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

One of the small but critically important rivers flowing into Willapa Bay, the Bear River supports populations of chum, Chinook, coho, steelhead, Pacific lamprey and sea-run cutthroat trout.

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. g

TYLER ROEMER

The Dunton Meadows property includes broad wetlands that drain to a stream called Coal Creek, a Dolores River tributary that provides excellent habitat for imperiled Colorado River cutthroat trout (pictured).

V

isiting 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 2,394-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.

TYLER ROEMER

PATRICK CLAYTON

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 twopronged 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. g

McLoughlin Falls Ranch

In Northern California’s wine country, WRC is on the verge of conserving a critical stretch of the Wheatfield Fork Gualala River in a region where salmon and steelhead habitat has been disappearing exponentially over the last century.

The Wheatfield Fork is the largest of three major tributaries of the mainstem Gualala, a superb, free-flowing stream that courses through majestic redwood forests on its 40mile journey to the Pacific. The Wheatfield Fork provides cold water and crucial habitat for winter steelhead and coho salmon, populations that are dwindling throughout the state.

WRC’s efforts on the Gualala River system began in 2015, when we set our sights on conserving the 4,344-acre Silva Ranch. The property contains a stretch of the Wheatfield Fork Gualala and a series of headwater creeks—more than six miles of cold-water, fish-bearing streams in all. With over 40 acres of old-growth redwoods and 2,600 acres of oak woodland and grassland, the ranch also provides crucial habitat for wildlife like northern spotted owl, bald eagle, white-tailed kite and red-legged frog.

By year-end, WRC and the California Rangeland Trust will have succeeded in conserving Silva Ranch by placing a conservation easement over the property. With the easement in place, we will have upped the odds for numerous threatened and endangered species. We’ll also improve habitat connectivity at a landscape scale thanks to Silva Ranch’s location adjacent to 75,000 acres of already protected lands.

Due to its prime location, Silva Ranch was highly vulnerable to development and intensive agricultural production. The easement instead keeps the property’s ancient redwoods, woodlands, grasslands and fresh-water streams permanently intact.

With fish and wildlife habitat on Silva Ranch protected, California’s redwood coast will be gaining another critical refuge for native fish and wildlife, an outcome that meets the needs of conservation, people and the health of the entire Gualala River basin. g

TYLER ROEMER

WINTER 2022

NEWS FROM WESTERN RIVERS CONSERVANCY

ISSUE 51

Prized Stretch of the Okanogan to be Protected Forever

This Issue: Okanogan River, WA

In north-central Washington, WRC is on the cusp of conserving a crucial stretch of the Okanogan.

Conservation Northwest was a critical partner and funder of this project.

WRC will soon convey an exquisite piece of McLoughlin Canyon to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to conserve an outstanding stretch of the Okanogan.

Washington

I McLoughlin Falls Ranch forms a key piece of one of Washington’s most important wildlife movement corridors and is home to charisimatic animals like sharp-tailed grouse (pictured), Canada lynx and bighorn sheep.

(503) 241-0151

INTERIOR WEST (303) 645-4953

CALIFORNIA (415) 767-2001

WASHINGTON (360) 528-2012

n north-central Washington, Western Rivers Conservancy is on the cusp of permanently protecting two miles of the Okanogan River and a key piece of one of the state’s most important wildlife corridors. In the coming months, we will convey the 727-acre McLoughlin Falls Ranch to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In doing so, we will conserve critical habitat for fish and wildlife, return ancestral lands

Dolores River, CO

WRC continues its efforts to preserve habitat and safeguard public access at Dunton Meadows.

Willapa Bay, WA

New project on the West Coast’s second-largest estuary will protect a stretch of the Bear River and a vital coastal forest.

McLoughlin Falls Ranch

PORTLAND

www.westernrivers.org

supports one of only two self-sustaining runs of sockeye salmon left in the Columbia Basin, as well as Chinook and steelhead populations that are still hanging on.

In addition to its excellent habitat, McLoughlin Falls Ranch is prized for its historical and cultural values. The property is an ancestral fishing site for the Colville Tribes, and more recent artifacts on the property point to its history as a stagecoach stop for miners and settlers.

For recreationists, conservation of McLoughlin Falls Ranch will mean improved access to a beautiful stretch of the Okanogan River. Boaters will be permitted to stop and rest or picnic near the property’s namesake falls, and hikers will be able to explore a new trail that WDFW plans to create through the ranch.

Once WRC transferrs McLoughlin Falls Ranch to the Colville Tribes and WDFW, the property will forever be managed for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people, including those who’ve had ties to this land since time immemorial.

ELLEN BISHOP

SUCCESS AHEAD! Gualala River

Originating in Canada’s Okanagan Lake, the Okanogan River flows 115 miles through oblong lakes, low rolling hills, expanses of sagebrush and stands of ponderosa pines, eventually emptying into the Columbia River. 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 a property called McLoughlin Falls Ranch.

Named after a hearty Class II rapid called McLoughlin Falls, the ranch forms 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, sharptailed grouse and the country’s healthiest population of Canada lynx.

McLoughlin Falls Ranch possesses healthy stands of riparian forests that shade the river and help keep water temperatures low along this stretch of the river. Despite pressure from damming and water diversions, the Okanogan

LINDA ARNDT

JASON HARTWICK

CONTINUED FROM COVER

to the Colville Tribes, and deliver new recreational access to a spectacular reach of McLoughlin Canyon.

The southern portion of the ranch will go to WDFW, and the larger northern portion, with its sensitive cultural sites, will go to the Colville Tribes. This unique outcome means that WDFW and the Colville will be able to manage the land as partners and deliver a three-way win for conservation, recreation and members of the Colville Tribes.

CONTINUED ON BACK

Big Hole River, MT

In the upper Big Hole Valley, WRC works to conserve critical reaches of high mountain tributary streams.

Gualala River, CA

WRC approaches the finish line in effort to save salmon and steelhead habitat on California’s Central Coast.