Highlights
• This floodplain property is another key parcel conserved in Washington’s second largest watershed.
• This acquisition, in coordination with regional partners, contributes to the state’s Aquatic Species Restoration Plan, which seeks to restore the 2,700-square-mile Chehalis Basin.
• The state will complete floodplain restoration and habitat enhancement on the property.
GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY, WA—Forterra, in coordination with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), announced the acquisition of 46 acres along the East Fork Satsop River near Elma, Washington. The property was acquired through the Aquatic Species Restoration Plan (ASRP), a comprehensive strategy to restore ecological health throughout the Chehalis Basin.
“Forterra and our conservation partners continue to piece together an important large-scale restoration project throughout the Chehalis Basin,” said Nicholas Carr, Forterra Chehalis Basin conservation director. “This acreage on the East Fork Satsop River brings us closer to protecting the massive Chehalis River watershed for the next generations of people and wildlife.”
Funding for the acquisition comes from the Office of the Chehalis Basin (OCB), which was created by the Washington State Legislature in 2016. The OCB administers the Chehalis Basin
Strategy, which includes both flood damage reduction and aquatic species restoration. The OCB contracted Forterra to develop opportunities for restoration through conservation easements and land transactions in the floodplain. Forterra works with key partners, such as the WDFW, Grays Harbor Conservation District and Capitol Land Trust to protect and restore habitat, which are critical elements of the ASRP.
“Acquisition of riparian areas and floodplains preserves river corridors that serve as important habitat for fish and wildlife while providing opportunities to conduct process-based restoration,” said Celina Abercrombie, Chehalis Basin Strategy Manager for WDFW. “Through partnerships, the ASRP is able to leverage the contributions of multiple organizations to implement large-scale restoration projects that support the local economy, reduce the impacts of climate change and build resiliency for the future.”
These 46 acres of floodplain property along the East Fork Satsop River contribute to the state’s effort to reduce flood damage and improve aquatic species’ habitat in the watershed. Future phases of this project will include floodplain restoration and habitat enhancement such as streambank stabilization, engineered logjams, and planting of native species by the state and project partners.
At nearly two million acres, the Chehalis River Basin is the second-largest intact watershed in the state, with hundreds of miles of tributaries feeding the main stem of the Chehalis River. The basin—second only to the Columbia River watershed—stretches from the foothills of Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier to the Pacific Coast, the ancestral lands of The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and the Quinault Indian Nation.
Learn more about Forterra at forterra.org.
CONTACTS
Heidi Taffera
Managing Director of Media Relations and Storytelling, Forterra
htaffera@forterra.org
425-269-9981
ABOUT FORTERRA
Forterra is an unconventional land trust that works across Washington’s communities and landscapes, from the ranches and shrub-steppe of the Yakima basin, to the estuaries, farms and forests of Washington’s coast, reaching more than 100 counties, cities, towns and rural communities. Working cooperatively with people and nature, Forterra drives land stewardship, management and planning; innovative programs and policies; farming and forestry approaches; community ownership opportunities; and development solutions. Visit www.forterra.org.
