Two key Land and Water Conservation Fund projects included in Department of the Interior 2024 Budget

information released, Capitol Building image by Pixabay

$12 million in federal funding will complete the final phase of the Washington Cascades Yakima River Watershed project, protecting 30,000 acres of land in Kittitas Co.

$7 million will protect 35,000 acres in the Upper Wenatchee River Basin in Chelan County

On Monday, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and Representative Kim Schrier M.D. (D, WA-08) announced $19 million for two key Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) projects included in the final Department of the Interior funding bill for Fiscal Year 2024.

“This funding marks the completion of a decade-long effort to protect nearly 30,000 irreplaceable acres at the headwaters of the Yakima River Basin,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This project is helping to restore salmon habitat, prevent wildfires, increase recreational access and deliver and store clean water for farmers, the Yakama Nation, and thousands of Central Washington households.”

“In writing and negotiating our funding bills, I am proud I was able to secure this funding for Washington state alongside my colleagues,” said Sen. Murray. “We have to protect and restore our environment so we can pass on to our kids clean air and thriving forests and healthy ecosystems that support strong communities. Washington state’s lands and waters are national treasures bringing in tourists and dollars from around the world and giving families a place to get outdoors and explore our country.”

“We all treasure our public lands and stunning national forests. Investments from the Land and Water Conservation Fund will help preserve Washington’s natural beauty for generations to come,” said Rep. Schrier. “I have worked to promote conservation efforts since coming to Congress, and am beyond excited about this $19 million dollar investment, much of which will be coming to the Eighth District.”

 “This is an historic conservation landmark for people and nature in Washington,” said Mike Stevens, The Nature Conservancy’s Washington State Director. “This funding will help complete decades of work to protect critical lands and waters along the I-90 corridor in the Central Cascades. Thanks to our delegation’s leadership, the Washington Cascades Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) project will benefit thousands of people who depend on the area’s healthy forests, connected habitat, and abundant water and who love the landscape for its wildlife, scenic and recreation values. All of us as Washingtonians can be very proud of this legacy moment.”

Washington Cascades – Yakima River Watershed Project — $12 million

  • Funding will complete the final phase of this project, allowing the U.S. Forest Service to acquire all 30,000 acres of private checkerboard inholdings inside the boundary of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest in the Taneum watershed of Kittitas County south of Cle Elum.
  • The Taneum watershed provides key habitat for rearing and spawning Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout.
  • The Taneum watershed is also significant to the Yakama Nation and is a critical watershed for the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan to protect headwater streams and conserve wildlife habitats.

Sens. Cantwell and Murray, and Rep. Schrier all wrote letters of support for the Washington Cascades Yakima River Watershed project. All three members’ letters are available HERE.

Upper Wenatchee Watershed Community Lands Plan — $7 million    

  • This funding will support phase one of Trust for Public Land’s project to acquire 35,000 forested acres of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (OWNF).
  • Phase one aims to restore ecosystems to help make Wenatchee, Cashmere, and Leavenworth more resistant to wildfire damage.
  • Funding will also help restore downstream fish habitat, increase recreation access, and protect habitat for threatened and endangered species including grizzly bears, gray wolves, northern spotted owls, Upper Columbia steelhead and spring Chinook, and Mid-Columbia bull trout.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund, our country’s most successful conservation program, helps support Washington state’s robust outdoor recreation economy, which is responsible for 264,000 jobs, $26.5 billion in annual spending, and $12 billion in wages and salaries. Since its creation in 1965, LWCF has supported more than 600 projects in Washington state.

Sen. Cantwell is a strong advocate for preserving public lands, and she has a long history of securing funding to protect Washington’s natural resources. Sen. Cantwell co-authored and co-sponsored The Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law in August 2020 and fully, permanently authorized and funded the LWCF and invested billions of dollars to address the maintenance backlog on public lands throughout Washington state and around the country.

Senator Murray has been a longtime champion of protecting Washington’s public lands and natural resources—passing groundbreaking legislation like her Wild Sky Wilderness Act and championing legislation like her Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Senator Murray negotiated the six-bill funding package—which included the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill that funds the Department of the Interior – and determined the LWCF projects included in the final bill.