The mission of the Kittitas Conservation Trust is to
protect a legacy of fish and wildlife habitat, open
space, and aquatic resources in the Upper Yakima
River Basin and help restore natural habitat.

The Trust identifies land and water rights that have
high conservation value, and then works with willing
landowners to acquire land, conservation easements,
or water rights that will increase instream flows.
Funding for our acquisition and restoration projects
comes from a variety of public and private sources.


Suncadia Resort Conservation Easements
Kittitas Conservation Trust monitors and stewards
five conservation easements within the resort that
protect 3,456 acres of functional wildlife habitat.

Cle Elum River Corridor Conservation Easement
Protects 1230 acres of geomorphic floodplain on both banks along six
miles of the lower Cle Elum River between I-90 and Lake Cle Elum.
Spring Chinook salmon use this important tributary reach for adult
spawning and early freshwater stage rearing.
The Trust is planning an instream habitat restoration project in the
lower Cle Elum that will expand rearing habitat for young salmon. The
project uses engineered log jams to create complexity and refuge.

Phase-3 Open Space Conservation Easements
These two easements protect 1,361 acres of Managed Open Space
and 502 acres of Natural Open Space in the forested uplands on the
west side of the Cle Elum River. Wildlife migration corridors remain
connected. Critical terrestrial habitat that supports deer, elk, cougar,
and other important species is permanently conserved and protected
from development.

Stream 'C' Conservation Easement
The 232 acres of land protected by this conservation easement
includes landscape scale wildlife connectivity routes. The Cle Elum
River drainage is linked to the Teanaway River basin through the
Stream 'C' corridor by extensive wildlife migration routes. The Land
Stewardship Plan for the Stream 'C' Corridor stresses desired future
outcomes that maintain wildlife habitat function in perpetuity.




Phase-2 Natural Open Space Conservation Easement
The Trust also monitors and stewards 131 acres of natural open space
on the east side of the Cle Elum River that connects to the riparian
conservation easement. This easement expands the fish and wildlife
habitat protections provided by the Cle Elum River Corridor easement.

Upper Yakima Basin Habitat Projects
The Trust has successfully competed for financial
support to implement several conservation projects
that will protect and enhance fish and wildlife habitat.

Funding sources include:

Salmon Recovery Funding Board Washington State Dept. of Ecology American rivers - NOAA Community Salmon Fund

North Fork Teanaway River Conservation Easements
The Teanaway River is the largest naturally flowing tributary in the
Upper Yakima Basin and supports populations of Spring Chinook
salmon, steelhead, and Bull trout. Terrestrial and avian wildlife
species thrive in Teanaway's productive and bio-diverse ecosystem.
KCT is working to protect Teanaway's ecosystem with a series of
riparian conservation easements along the North Fork.
The Salmon Recovery Funding Board has financially supported this
project, and a funding proposal to the Bonneville Power
Administration's Fish & Wildlife Program is now being reviewed.

Swauk Creek Water Storage Study
Critical habitat for recovery of Mid-Columbia Steelhead is threatened
by late season low flows in lower Swauk Creek. The Trust is
investigating the feasibility of storing excess water from spring run-off
for agricultural use during low flow periods later in the year.
Increased instream flows would benefit production of important
aquatic species while water users continue to be fully supplied.
The Swauk storage study is primarily funded by the Dept. of Ecology.


Currier Creek Barrier Removal
This project helps restore fish passage into a critical watershed for
recovery of populations of salmon and steelhead in the Yakima Basin.
Agricultural water diversion structures that are complete barriers to
fish passage will be removed and stream restoration actions will
follow. Project funding comes through the Salmon Recovery Funding
Board and American Rivers - NOAA Community Based Restoration
Program Partnership.


Taneum Creek Fish Passage Improvements
Two fish passage structures in lower Taneum Creek are inadequate to
meet the passage needs of anadromous fish into the Taneum
watershed. The Bruton and Taneum diversions fish ladders were
constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation during the Phase-1
improvements, but do not meet current criteria for passage. Kittitas
Conservation Trust partnered with Yakama Nation Fisheries will
complete an analysis of alternatives for improving fish passage into
Taneum. A preferred option will be selected and 30% design
documents will be delivered to the Bureau of Reclamation for their
approval and implementation. Project funding comes from the
Community Salmon Fund and Yakima Tributary Access Program.


Upper Yakima Easton Reach Riparian Acquisition
The Trust is partnered with WDFW and the Yakama Nation on
acquisition of 100+ acres that are bisected by the Yakima River. The
project property has been managed for decades to enhance riparian
habitat and conservation values. The Salmon Recovery Funding Board
is reviewing this proposal.