Yakima Canyon Ranch Permanently Conserved and Open to Public
Yakima River
In May, Western Rivers Conservancy, the Bureau of Land Management, the Yakama Nation and others gathered on the banks of the Yakima River to celebrate a landmark win for conservation and recreation: the protection of Yakima Canyon Ranch, in the heart of the scenic Yakima River Canyon.
Following more than five years of work, WRC’s conveyance of the property to the BLM ensured permanent conservation of one of the most coveted properties within the river’s scenic 27-mile canyon stretch. With our eye on conserving Yakima Canyon Ranch for years, WRC purchased
the property in 2021. Composed of 647 acres, the ranch spans 3.5 miles of both sides of the river, near the canyon’s upper end. It includes the destination campsite and recreation gateway at Lower Umtanum, and the indispensable boating put-in and campground at Bighorn, a mainstay for those floating and fishing the canyon reach. After purchasing the property, WRC and the BLM secured funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to convey the ranch to the BLM in March of this year. The ranch lies within the BLM’s 9,000acre Yakima River Canyon Area of Critical
This Issue:
Yakima River, WA
Conservation of Yakima Canyon Ranch creates new access and preserves habitat on top-notch fly fishing stream
Estero de San Antonio, CA
WRC is about to conserve part of a fragile estuary north of San Francisco
McDermitt Creek, OR Disaster Peak Ranch and its outstanding Lahontan cutthroat trout habitat is now protected
Badger Creek, ID
WRC purchases key property for mule deer, elk and Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Teton River basin
Sacramento River, CA
WRC sets out to conserve a scenic and habitat-rich stretch of California’s largest river
Washington Earlier this year, Western Rivers Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management conserved a superb 3.5-mile stretch of the Yakima River at the epicenter of some of Washington’s best fly fishing.
WRC and Bay Area Tribe About to Protect Dillon Beach Ranch on Bodega Bay
Estero de San Antonio
California
In a breathtaking coastal setting north of San Francisco, Western Rivers Conservancy is on the cusp of conserving Dillon Beach Ranch and its outstanding estuary habitat by conveying the property to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The 466acre ranch includes 1.5 miles of the estuary’s southern shore and another 1.5 miles of rocky Pacific shoreline.
WRC purchased the ranch in 2023. Today, the Graton Rancheria— which includes Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo communities—have those lands back, and the ranch will remain intact for fish and wildlife and to preserve its unique cultural heritage.
Located in West Marin County some 40 miles north of the Golden Gate, Dillon Beach Ranch presides over a nearly pristine estuary—the Estero de San Antonio—with the expanse of the Pacific Ocean filling the western horizon.
The estero (Spanish for estuary) and its ever-evolving tidal ecosystem is formed where a small stream called Stemple Creek meets the Pacific at the southern end of Bodega Bay. Top to bottom, the ranch, once a sizeable cattle operation, includes grassy benches, rock outcrops and rolling hills that slope gently down to the estuary’s southern bank and west to the rough, rocky beach that forms the property’s oceanfront edge.
Designated a State Marine
Recreational Management Area, the estuary and its fragile ecosystem remain largely intact, incredibly diverse and wholly unique. The federally endangered and seldom-seen Myrtle’s silverspot butterfly is known to flit about the area—and likely only there. Though also endangered and rarely exceeding two inches in length, the intrepid northern tidewater goby is supremely adapted to the habitat
conditions and undulating seasonal sandbars of the estuary and persists here as a testament to the estuary’s health. Threatened California redlegged frogs are found in the estuary’s wetland areas, while mule deer graze the hillsides and shorebirds navigate the fog and breezes above. The Graton Rancheria community plans to manage Dillon Beach Ranch for the benefit of its fish, wildlife and outstanding cultural values. Management will focus on traditional practices, reducing invasive species and fostering the growth of native plants. It is the first property that has been returned to the Graton Rancheria to own and manage for the sake of conservation—an outcome that grew out of a remarkable partnership which WRC and the Graton Rancheria alike are incredibly proud of. g
A hiker looks out at Stemple Creek where it meets the Estero de San Antonio, a small estuary on Bodega Bay, north of San Francisco. Here, WRC is on the cusp of conserving Dillon Beach Ranch in partnership with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
DAVID DINES
A Haven for Great Basin Lahontan Cutthroat Now Protected
McDermitt Creek
Oregon
The iconic Lahontan cutthroat trout is as ingrained into the rugged landscapes of the western Great Basin as sagebrush, jackrabbits and the unforgiving high-desert climate. The smallish, stream-dwelling Lahontan’s striking orange sides somehow blend seamlessly into the desert palette as it darts between shady spots in narrow, winding creeks. Unlike the Great Basin’s famed and plentiful lakedwelling Lahontans, which are often of hatchery origin, native stream Lahontans are struggling, hanging on in isolated stronghold populations scattered across just 10 percent of their historic range. These populations are the seeds of hope for any large-scale native Lahontan recovery. So, when Western Rivers Conservancy became aware of a crucial population of genetically pure Lahontans in a stream called McDermitt Creek, where it flows through a property called Disaster Peak Ranch, we bought the ranch. This spring, we protected it for good. Located on the Oregon/Nevada border, Disaster Peak Ranch is a 3,345acre oasis of wet meadows, meandering streams and willow thickets kept largely intact by a legacy of family ranching that prioritized the health of the creek. The ranch contains 7.5 miles of McDermitt Creek and 11 miles of tributary streams,
with connectivity to another 36 miles of stream habitat on surrounding BLM lands. Now that Disaster Peak Ranch is under conservation management, it is possible to reconnect the 55 miles of potential trout habitat and recover a large, self-sustaining population of McDermitt Lahontans. With the broader, long-term recovery of Lahontan cutthroat hinging on the conservation of habitat and recovery of populations like this, there is no more impactful single opportunity in the Quinn River Basin than WRC’s purchase of Disaster Peak Ranch.
In 2023, WRC positioned the property for federal Endangered Species Act funding, which allowed us to conserve the ranch outright. This April, once funding was delivered, we conserved the Nevada side of the ranch by conveying it to the Nevada Division of State Lands to be managed by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). WRC will hold the Oregon side until we convey the protected lands to a long-term steward. Meanwhile, we will continue to work closely with our partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, BLM, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and NDOW to create a permanent conservation overlay for the property, ultimately ensuring this vital stretch of McDermitt Creek remains a permanent refuge for Lahontan cutthroat trout. g
Idaho
New Effort in the Teton River Basin
Eastern Idaho’s remote and rugged Teton River Canyon anchors one of the highest-priority habitat assemblages within the vast Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest nearly-intact temperate ecosystems on Earth. Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, whitetail deer and moose that summer in the high country of Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks rely on migration and overwintering habitat in the 25-mile-long Teton River Canyon to survive. Additionally, the upper Teton River itself is one of only three remaining strongholds for imperiled Yellowstone cutthroat trout. A common conservation thread running through all of this is a stream called Badger Creek.
In June, Western Rivers Conservancy purchased the 613-acre Badger Creek Canyon Ranch, which spans both sides of an essential 2.5-mile reach of Badger Creek, just upstream of its confluence with the Teton River. Badger Creek is one of only four Teton River tributaries with a genetically pure population of Yellowstone cutthroat, thanks to a subsurface section of the creek that stymies non-native rainbows encroaching from downstream. That population will be critical to reintroduction efforts downstream, where fish habitat is superb, including within the stretch through the ranch.
We intend to convey the ranch to the Bureau of Land Management in 2026. In so doing, we will conserve some of the last unprotected lands within a critical wildlife winter range that spans lower Badger Creek, neighboring lower Bitch Creek and the Teton River Canyon. And we will aid in the recovery of native Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the basin. g
WRC has successfully conserved a 7.5-mile stretch of McDermitt Creek (pictured) and 11 miles of tributary streams, protecting outstanding habitat for Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Sacramento River Bend Ranch
In California’s Central Valley, WRC has committed to purchase Sacramento River Bend Ranch—a rare 288-acre gem at the northern end of the Sacramento River Valley—by the end of this year. The ranch includes a mile of Sacramento River frontage along a sweeping horseshoe bend frequented by anglers, hikers, boaters and birdwatchers. With increasingly rare large-overstory forests of sycamores, valley oaks and cottonwoods, the ranch offers opportunities to both experience and protect a stretch of California’s largest river much as the corridor was centuries ago. Major cultural sites and artifacts of local Indigenous communities exist near the property and are reminders of the area’s immeasurable value. Situated in the lower half of a 56-mile corridor of largely intact habitat between the towns of Redding and Red Bluff, the ranch will play an important role in broader recovery efforts for Chinook salmon, winter steelhead, green sturgeon and Pacific lamprey. Western monarch, Swainson’s hawk, bald eagle and other rare and imperiled species frequent the property, along with hardy populations of mule deer, raptors and ringtail cats.
Surrounding Sacramento River Bend Ranch is the 17,000-acre Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM in recent years has conducted extensive off-channel habitat restoration just north of the ranch, including rehabilitation of a large historical slough and other habitats throughout the floodplain. Restoring riparian habitat and native vegetation among existing old-growth forests will help reconnect vital ecological linkages and reestablish a small haven for juvenile anadromous fish, neotropical migratory songbirds and myriad other species. WRC’s conveyance of Sacramento River Bend Ranch to the BLM will incorporate the property into the agency’s broader conservation efforts in the area, greatly enhancing access to public recreation opportunities. g
Environmental Concern (ACEC) and was one of a handful of privately-owned properties scattered among the ACEC’s protected public lands. Placing the property into BLM ownership ensures a more cohesive management of the area for the sake of both conservation and recreational access—a true accomplishment in such a popular area.
Fly anglers from far and wide visit the Yakima River Canyon to test their skills against the river’s famed redband trout, and birders can spot prairie falcons, golden eagles and 20 other raptor species in the cliffs above.
California bighorn sheep navigate the sunbaked canyon walls, while mule deer browse the surrounding shrub-steppe slopes and cottonwood stands along the river. And hikers, hunters and wildlife watchers can access the adjacent 106,000-acre Wenas Wildlife Area next door.
Conservation of Yakima Canyon Ranch will also play a pivotal role
in the broader vision for the Yakima River’s future as a whole. Named for the Indigenous Yakama people, the Yakima River was one of the great salmon corridors connecting the eastern slope of the Cascade Range to the Columbia River. Most of those runs were lost, but there is hope they’ll return. As the Yakama Nation leads restoration efforts for Chinook, coho and sockeye, protecting intact migratory and riparian habitat like that of Yakima Canyon Ranch will be essential. Yakima Canyon Ranch is one of two recent WRC projects on the Yakima, the other being Four Seasons Ranch, upstream. There, WRC conveyed a small but critical property to Kittitas County, allowing the county to continue restoration of nearly four miles of floodplain habitat. Combined, these efforts on the Yakima will help ensure this river remains a place of salmon, steelhead, wildlife and recreation forever. g
Yakama Nation Tribal Council member Caseymac Wallahee (center) cuts a ribbon to celebrate WRC’s conservation of Yakima Canyon Ranch in partnership with the BLM. WRC Interim President Nelson Mathews is second from the left, joined by Kittitas County Commissioner Cory Wright, BLM’s OR/WA State Director Barry Bushue and others.
NEIL ARONSON
TOM AND PAT LEESON
California