Preserve the Magic of Cottonwood Cove!

You can permanently protect 15 acres of beautiful, healthy floodplain habitat on the Yakima River with old-growth cottonwood trees, aspen stands, and flowing side channels. These lands are home to rearing salmon, deer, elk, and other wildlife. It isn’t often we have the opportunity to protect lands this pristine. We are two-thirds of the way there, but we need your help to get across the finish line! We are seeking to raise $135,000 to ensure this magical place exists forever.

These lands are located within a “conservation corridor being created by partners to protect this important stretch of the Yakima River. The Bonneville Power Administration, Yakama Nation, City of Cle Elum, and our organization have collectively conserved 550 acres. This project presents the unique opportunity to add 15 acres of thriving floodplain habitat to this corridor. Often we purchase property and have to do restoration work to set it back on a path to being healthy. But, in this case, we are simply ensuring we don’t lose habitat in great condition. Last spring we found young salmon rearing in the side-channel on the property and lots of signs of wildlife like deer, elk, otter, beaver and so much more using the land.

Any additional funding we receive over our goal will go to the stewardship of these lands, which is important to ensure we continue to manage them for future generations. Good stewardship requires monitoring the property to ensure it is healthy, adaptively managing for invasive species, and supporting community access and use. You can be the difference! Let’s protect this special place together.