Do you have a stream on your property? Are you ready to update your irrigation system? Are you looking to enhance wildlife habitat on your property?
Managing natural resources on your property and meeting regulatory requirements can be a daunting task, but the Cascadia Conservation District is here to help! We have the expertise and experience to help you with your natural resource conservation and restoration projects. We may even be able to offer you financial assistance as well.
What?
Rivers and streams throughout Chelan County have been heavily impacted by human use and continue to be degraded and imperiled from increased risks of climate change. The habitat both in and surrounding our creeks and streams is struggling to support fish and wildlife as well as our own resource and recreational needs. Cascadia Conservation District is working in partnership with landowners and partnering organizations to elevate the function of our local habitats to ensure the future enjoyment and sustainability of the land and environment. We are defining this process at Riverscape Restoration to include the whole system around the water itself.
Why?
With over 230 miles of major streams and rivers and 3 species of threatened or endangered fish, there is a growing need in Chelan County to restore degraded habitat. There is a myriad of benefits to uplifting the streams and surrounding riparian areas. By encouraging good stewardship and restoring floodplain connection, essential food and cover becomes more available to plants and animals, water quality is improved and protected, and risks of flooding and erosion are reduced. Additionally, as things become warmer and dryer, risks of wildfire and drought can be mitigated by an expanded riparian area which retains more water and helps cool temperatures.
How?
CCD, along with our partners at Cascade Fisheries and Trout Unlimited’s Wenatchee-Entiat Beaver Project , is employing numerous strategies and techniques to accomplish restoration goals throughout our watersheds. One approach that fulfills a unique niche is Low-Tech Process Based Restoration (LT-PBR). This restoration practice is a simple, cost effective, hand built approach to help repair degraded streams. Benefits of these techniques include increased water retention, improved water quality, increased ground water, increased habitat for wildlife, and much more.
We try to “let the system do the work” deferring decision making to the river and nature itself.
