Ellensburg - The Cascade Land Conservancy, Kittitas County Conservation District and the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group have teamed up on a project to test and refine an innovative technique for managing lands along rivers and creeks.

The Pioneers in Conservation Program has funded the project on the lower half mile of Wilson Creek near Ellensburg using flash grazing of livestock to control noxious weed establishment.  Flash grazing involves stocking a pasture with a large number of grazing animals for a very brief period.

“Many farmers and ranchers in Eastern Washington are reluctant to embrace stream buffer programs that require total livestock exclusion from the riparian area,” said Jill Arango, CLC’s Kittitas County Director.  “Riparian planting and livestock exclusion often lead to invasive or noxious weed establishment, causing a management challenge for the landowner.”

 “We hope to demonstrate that flash grazing can be an effective tool in riparian management,” said project partner Rebecca Wassell with the Fisheries Enhancement Group, “and provide a compromise solution to an ongoing conflict between habitat improvement and economic livelihood.”

The project partners believe this project will show that improving habitat for federally threatened steelhead salmon using this method will result in less economic loss for farmers and ranchers and will provide a model for future similar projects in the region.

The Pioneers in Conservation program supports projects on farm and forest lands that help both fish and a farm or forest business. This Kittitas County project was ranked first in the state by program directors.

 “An insistence on total livestock exclusion and riparian fencing discourages landowners from participating in stream restoration efforts, as the projects often mean reduced acreage for grazing, reduced access to stock water, and a perceived loss of property rights,” said Anna Lael director of the Kittitas County Conservation District.

“If we are to save our salmon,” according to Don Stuart, of American Farmland Trust, “we need to also save our farms.  This program shows how viable farms and healthy salmon go hand in hand – each can help with the survival of the other.”  The Trust is a national nonprofit that helped create the Pioneers in Conservation program and currently assists with its administration.

The Cascade Land Conservancy is a regional land trust, land stewardship provider and policy center operating in Washington State with headquarters in Seattle and principal offices in King, Kittitas, Mason, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.  Founded in 1989, the Conservancy has protected nearly 150,000 acres of working forests, farmlands and natural areas as well as estuary lands on the Olympic Peninsula and along the Washington Coast.  It provides stewardship services, caring for more than 10,000 acres of land.  Since 2005 it has been the host organization of The Cascade Agenda, which links conserving great lands with creating great communities.  The Conservancy has active volunteer leadership groups in King, Kittitas, Pierce, Mason and Snohomish counties.

The Kittitas County Conservation District provides technical, educational and financial assistance to landowners and land users in Kittitas County.  The District regularly partners with private landowners, local, state and federal agencies and other groups to implement a wide range of on-the-ground stewardship activities to improve resource conditions. The District has been serving Kittitas County landowners for more than 60 years. The organization is governed by a five member Board of Supervisors that must include three current landowners or operators residing within district boundaries.

The Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group is a non-profit, community based group working within the Yakima, Klickitat, White Salmon and Wind River watersheds to restore self-sustaining salmon and steelhead populations through habitat restoration, preservation, and education projects.  Mid-Columbia Fisheries is one of 14 Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups in Washington State. Since 1995, the enhancement groups have restored more than 400 miles of rivers and streams, and completed nearly 600 fish passage projects.

Funding for the Pioneers in Conservation program is provided through the Washington State Conservation Commission and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation administers the program.  A new round of Pioneers grants has recently been announced for a deadline of March 31, 2009.