Upper Methow Riparian Protection IV

The Methow Conservancy purchased 85 acres, in conservation easement and fee simple, of habitat properties along the upper Methow River (upstream of Winthrop). The Upper Methow is a major spawning aggregation (MSA) for spring Chinook and Steelhead and a core area for Bull Trout.

The acquired properties permanently prohibit riparian development and habitat destruction by deeding development rights and habitat protection provisions to the Methow Conservancy. Without this protection, it is highly likely that riparian vegetation would be cleared for river access and residential development. The existing shoreline regulations in Okanogan County allow homes to be built within 50 ft of the ordinary high water mark, and also allow understory removal, motorized recreational trails, timber harvest, filling and diking. The acquired properties permanently restrict these activities, and insure that dynamic fluvial processes important for maintaining water storage, water cooling, woody debris recruitment and erosion control, persist in perpetuity. Some the acquired sites facilitate the future restoration of floodplain and riparian habitat.

This project protected 85 acres of key spring Chinook and Steelhead floodplain and riparian habitat along the upper Methow River.