Recreation and Conservation Grants 2023-2025

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Adams County

Othello Grant Awarded: $500,000

Adding a Spray Park and Renovating Trails in Kiwanis Park

Othello will use this grant to build a spray park, renovate walking trails, and add lights in Kiwanis

Park, one of only two active parks in the community of nearly 9,000 residents. The project’s goal

is to make this family-oriented park, which is known for its informal recreation, an appealing,

safe, accessible park that will be more useable for all ages of users. This project also will meet

the residents' desire for free, safe, healthy, youth-centric activities in a community, where kids

are 39 percent of the population, the poverty rate is 27 percent, and 88 percent of students

qualify for free and reduced lunch. The spray park, which will be designed primarily for children

twelve and younger, will be a welcome cooling center during Othello's hot summers. Installing

lights throughout the park will improve security, address a significant graffiti problem, and

extend the useable hours for activities. The walking trails have deteriorated since they were built

in the 1970s and are no longer accessible for anyone using a wheelchair, pushing a stroller, or

riding a bike. The City will resurface the trails to restore connections that tie together all park

areas. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

f this project.

This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1642)

Othello Grant Awarded: $350,000

Developing a Futsal Court in Kiwanis Park

The City of Othello will use this grant to develop its first official, dedicated Futsal Court in

Kiwanis Park. Futsal is a fast-paced, soccer-associated game played on a hard court between two

teams of five players each, including a goalkeeper. The City also will renovate nearby restrooms

and build a concrete sidewalk to connect the new court with pedestrian trails. Futsal methods

are excellent training techniques for improving soccer skills. The connection between soccer and

futsal and, the well-known importance of each in Hispanic and Latinx cultures, is a unique and

compelling aspect of this project. The court will be used by kids ages four to eighteen, who are

27 percent of Othello's population. With this court, they will have the opportunity to participate

in a new City-sponsored Summer Youth Futsal League. The court also will be open for club team

and adult league tournaments, scrimmages, practices, off-season conditioning, and recreational

play. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

f this project.

This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1651)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Asotin County

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $446,017

Building Campsites in the Asotin Creek Wildlife Area

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use two grants to build two primitive camping areas

and install toilets in the Asotin Creek Wildlife Area. The department will build parking pads and

install fire rings, toilets, and kiosks in the Foredyce and Cabin Gulch campgrounds. The work will

create designated places to camp and provide restrooms to consolidate the human impacts on

the land. In addition, the department will install vault toilets at three access points in the wildlife

area. The department will install toilets and a kiosk at the North Fork Asotin Creek Trailhead and

toilets at the North-South Fork Asotin Creek Junction and the Smoothing Iron parking area.

Asotin Creek and its tributaries are important for Endangered Species Act-listed salmon species

and bull trout, and the surrounding wildlife area is home to elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and

other wildlife. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshots here and here

for more information and

photographs of this project. The grants are from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1440 and 22-1784)

Projects in Chelan County

Chelan County Grant Awarded: $1,133,595

Buying Land for a Malaga Waterfront Park

Chelan County will use two grants grant to buy 38.5 acres of waterfront and 0.25 mile of

shoreline along the Columbia River in Malaga for a future waterfront park. The park will provide

access to the Columbia River for both motorized and non-motorized boats. It also will offer field

sports, wildlife viewing, trails, scenic vistas with benches, picnic shelters, and playgrounds.

Despite being on the Columbia River, Malaga has no shoreline parks, trails, or boating facilities

and is the highest-need community in Chelan County for shoreline access. The grants are from

the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshots here for here for more information and photographs of this

project. (22-1732 and 22-1325)

Chelan-Douglas Land Trust Grant Awarded: $660,000

Conserving Castle Rock Ridge

The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust will use this grant to buy 398 acres of shrub-steppe habitat in

the Cascade Mountain foothills of Wenatchee. This land includes habitat for a diverse array of

plants as well as species of state and federal concern, including mule deer and golden eagles.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Additionally, this land provides hiking access between the Wenatchee's Lower Castle Rock

Natural Area and U.S. Forest Service lands. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1274)

Leavenworth Winter Sports Club Grant Awarded: $258,000

Improving Restrooms and Lighting on the Leavenworth Ski Hill

The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club will use this grant to build a restroom that will be

accessible to people with disabilities next to the historic Ski Hill Lodge and improve lighting in

the alpine skiing area of the Leavenworth Ski Hill. The Leavenworth Ski Hill is one mile from

downtown Leavenworth and serves toddlers to Nordic Olympians in training. The ski hill trails

have become increasingly popular year-round and serve as the home facility and practice

location for the Leavenworth Middle and High School cross-county teams and Icicle Bicycle

Youth Mountain Bike Team. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1735)

Manson Parks and Recreation District Grant Awarded: $574,550

Buying Leffler Field

The Manson Parks and Recreation District will use this grant to buy the nearly five-acre Leffler

Field, private land that has served as a community space for more than twenty years. The

purchase preserves a beloved, much-used property, and ensures the expansion of public

recreation in an underserved community. Undeveloped property of this size, within walking

distance of downtown Manson, is scarce. Due to the resulting urgency, the Manson School

District bought the land until the district could get a grant. Manson's Chamber of Commerce

and community members raised money to support the acquisition. If not for the swift action of

the school district, this property would now house commercial buildings. Future improvements

may include trails, a natural play area, a restroom, and an amphitheater. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1650)

Tall Timber Ranch Grant Awarded: $10,000

Teaching Outdoor Ethics to Students

The nonprofit Tall Timber Ranch will use this grant to design and provide outdoor ethics

education programs to students in first through twelfth grades. Nestled between the White and

Napeequa Rivers in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, Tall Timber Ranch welcomed 1,800 people to its

camp in 2022. Ranch staff will use the grant to train staff, redevelop its curriculum and materials

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

to promote environmental stewardship, host “Leave No Trace” workshops, and customize

handouts to the local area and most popular trail uses that the students can take with them

when they leave. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of

this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2352)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Caring for Lower Lake Chelan Trails Grant Awarded: $75,000

The Chelan Ranger District will use this grant to maintain about 296 miles of trails in the lower

Lake Chelan valley, which hosts more than 2 million visitors a year. Crews will remove overgrown

brush and fallen logs, fix drainage structures and bridges, and reconstruct trail surfaces. In

addition, crews will groom winter trails for snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and

fat tire bikers. The trails are used for hiking, Nordic skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and

motorized trail activities. The work will improve access for very diverse trail users in all seasons

and maintain high-quality trail experiences on unique trails such as Echo Ridge Nordic Trails and

multiuse trails in the Sawtooth Backcountry and Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from

the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2145)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Completing a Canyon Trail System Grant Awarded: $185,506

The Wenatchee River Ranger District will use this grant to build a mountain bike skill-building

area for youth and beginning riders and the final six miles of trail, install a toilet, and improve a

trailhead, completing a more than thirty-mile trail system for nonmotorized uses just four miles

west of Wenatchee. The new trail system will be used by mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians,

and trail runners. Upon completion of this final phase, this diverse trail network will encompass

many connected, nonmotorized, and multiuse trail opportunities. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2199)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Entiat and Chelan Multiuse Trails Grant Awarded: $99,750

The Entiat Ranger District will use this grant to fund a crew and support volunteers to maintain

195 miles of multiuse trails in the Entiat and Chelan Ranger Districts. The area's high elevation

and volcanic soil make the trails and surrounding environment susceptible to resource damage.

Crews will remove fallen trees and cut overgrown brush, repair and replace bridges, maintain

drainage structures, restore trail surfaces, and maintain signs and trailheads. These trails are in

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

the heart of the hugely popular, interconnected, 225-mile, multiuse trail system that runs from

Lake Wenatchee across the Entiat and Chelan Mountains to Lake Chelan. The multiuse trail

system is primarily in a roadless setting allowing all type of trail users to experience the high

elevation environment. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2223)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining the Entiat Ranger District Camping Areas Grant Awarded: $47,500

The Entiat Ranger District will use this grant to increase staffing to maintain eleven

campgrounds, one rental cabin, two lookout towers, two group sites, and one hundred

dispersed sites. An estimated 60,000 campers visit from April through October each year, a

number which is increasing. Meanwhile, funding has decreased 30 percent in the past ten years

and campground fees have remained unchanged. The employees will remove trash, clean

restrooms and campsites, remove dangerous trees, test water quality and maintain wells, replace

barriers, and fix picnic tables and signs. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle

Activities grant program. (22-2227)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Snowmobile Trails Grant Awarded: $55,500

The Entiat Ranger District will use this grant to maintain up to 200 miles of trail. Crews will

remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush, clean drainage structures, repair minor washouts,

and install and maintain more than 250 trail signs. Work will focus on cutting back overgrown

brush to provide easier access for snow groomers in the winter. The Lake Wenatchee

snowmobile trail system is one of the most popular and diverse in the state, with 24 percent of

all riders selecting it as the "area most often ridden." The Entiat and Wenatchee River Ranger

Districts groom their trails weekly during the winter and host more than 45,000 visitors annually.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This

grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2367)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Trails for Motorized Uses Grant Awarded: $149,980

The Wenatchee River Ranger District will use this grant to fund a crew and support volunteers to

maintain 120 miles of multi-use trails in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The crew will

remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush, repair drainage structures, and maintain signs. The

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

ranger district also will use the grant to buy small tools, minor equipment, and two electric

bikes. Changing environmental conditions and more fires have taken their toll on trails, making

it harder to keep up with routine removal of fallen trees and restoration of trail surfaces.

Wenatchee River Ranger District is two hours from the greater Puget Sound area. Visitors flock

there to hike, bike, ride horses, and ride off-road vehicles on the trails. One of the main

motorcycle trails is part of a larger, 225-mile, multiuse trail system that extends to the Entiat and

Chelan Ranger Districts. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2136)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Upper Lake Chelan Basin Trail Grant Awarded: $75,000

The Chelan Ranger District will use this grant to maintain about 350 miles of trails for non-

motorized activities in the upper Lake Chelan basin and the Entiat portion of the Glacier Peak

Wilderness over two seasons. Crews will remove fallen trees, clear brush, repair trail surfaces and

bridges, and replace and repair trail signs and drain structures. The work will improve trail access

and user safety, retain access on burned trails, and protect natural resources. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2147)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Wenatchee River Recreation Areas Grant Awarded: $123,000

The Wenatchee River Ranger District will use this grant to pay for five seasonal employees to

maintain trailheads, campgrounds, day-use sites, and dispersed recreation sites in Chelan

County. Crews will remove trash, maintain restrooms and bulletin boards, remove dangerous

trees, and clean campsites, day-use areas, and trailheads. The Wenatchee River Ranger District

sees more than 1 million visits annually to its 26 campgrounds, 56 trailheads, and more than

300 dispersed recreation sites. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2037)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Wilderness and Multiuse Trails Grant Awarded: $149,602

The Wenatchee River Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a trail crew, animal packer, and

volunteer group support to maintain some of the more than 500 miles of multiuse trails in the

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Work will include removing fallen trees, clearing

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

overgrown brush, restoring trail surfaces, cleaning and repairing drainage structures, and

maintaining small bridges. As the climate continues to change and wildfires continue to burn

larger and more intensely, routine trail maintenance and clearing of trails are getting

increasingly more dangerous and challenging. Larger crews are needed to accomplish the highly

technical jackstraw and avalanche debris piles. The trails are used for hiking, backpacking,

climbing, fishing, trail running, hunting, horse riding, and wildlife viewing and photographing.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This

grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2139)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Snow Rangers Grant Awarded: $10,000

The Wenatchee River and Entiat Ranger Districts will use this grant to fund two snow rangers to

patrol Sno Parks, parking areas, and 185 miles of groomed winter trails on 250,000 acres of

backcountry area. The Forest Service estimates 500-700 visitors use the trail system on a busy

weekend. The snow rangers will educate winter users about safe and courteous snowmobile

operation, trail conditions, trail etiquette, avalanche awareness, winter survival, winter wildlife,

and respect for wilderness and other trail users. The snow ranger program provides a consistent

presence and personal interaction with trail users, which helps reduce user conflicts and

provides safety education on this heavily used snowmobile riding area. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the federal

Recreational Trails Program. (22-2371)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Wilderness Rangers Grant Awarded: $197,596

The Wenatchee River Ranger District will use this grant to fund four seasonal wilderness rangers

to patrol high-use areas in the Alpine Lakes, Henry M. Jackson, and Glacier Peak Wilderness

Areas for two field seasons. Rangers teach visitors how to recreate while creating little to no

environmental impact and enforce regulations. The patrols will focus on the Enchantments

permit area because of its popularity with relatively new wilderness visitors. The wilderness areas

offer hiking, backpacking, climbing, horseback riding, sightseeing, wildlife viewing, and fishing.

By focusing rangers in high use areas on weekends and holidays, they will reach large numbers

of visitors, especially the less experienced recreationists. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-

road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2040)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Planning Upper Wenatchee Valley Trails Grant Awarded: $195,000

The Wenatchee River Ranger District will use this grant to hire contractors to conduct

environmental analysis, facilitate public participation, and manage a project to plan the

improvements to trails and their amenities in the upper Wenatchee valley. The contractor will

collaboratively identify gaps in trail-based recreation needs of communities and visitors, develop

plans to address those gaps, and conduct environmental analysis to create shovel-ready

projects. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2375)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $325,000

Continuing Redevelopment of the Roses Lake Access Area

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to install a fishing float and gangway at

Roses Lake, near Manson in Chelan County. The float will expand the limited shoreline access for

anglers, wildlife watchers, people with disabilities, the elderly, and users without access to boats.

The department will eliminate unsafe, makeshift trails that are hazardous for travel and to native

shore grasses, willow, and cattail. Mallards and other waterfowl use cattail stands yearly for

raising their young. This is the final critical piece in the redevelopment of this public access site.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1691)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $1,927,277

Protecting a Plant Found Nowhere Else in the World

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy 1,513 acres to expand the Upper

Dry Gulch Natural Area Preserve, which is about ten miles south of Wenatchee. The preserve was

established in 1989 to protect a rare plant species, Whiteds milkvetch, which exists nowhere else

in the world besides in the less than nine square miles centered around the existing preserve.

This is the second phase of acquisition, after which 95 percent of Whited's milkvetch will be

protected in the preserve. The preserve provides exceptional opportunities for scientific research

and environmental education for school groups and the public. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1380)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Farmland Trust Grant Awarded: $528,175

Conserving the Parlette Cherry Orchard

Washington Farmland Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

on Parlette

Orchard in the Wenatchee Heights area, southeast of Wenatchee. The easement will extinguish

eleven development rights and permanently protect the sixty-seven-acre farm with an

established cherry orchard for agricultural production forever. Chelan County's nationally

valuable irrigated orchard lands are under enormous development pressure. Located on soils of

statewide significance for orchard production, with senior water rights, and ideal elevation, the

Parlette Orchard is in a location uniquely resilient to the impacts of a changing climate. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1722)

Wenatchee Grant Awarded: $750,000

Conserving Bighorn Ridge

The City of Wenatchee will use this grant to buy more than 134 acres of Bighorn Ridge to

expand outdoor recreation access, preserve threatened habitats, and provide critical trail

linkages to a growing and underserved part of the Wenatchee valley. With trails, natural

attributes, and connection to other public land, the site is prime for recreation and habitat

purposes. Visitors of all ages can observe the unique flora and fauna on the easy to traverse

trails. The site will serve as a regional, year-round recreation destination for a variety of outdoor

recreation and educational purposes ranging from snowshoeing, horseback riding, and hiking,

to nature viewing and educational programs. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1323)

More projects in Chelan County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Clallam County

Clallam County Grant Awarded: $110,625

Renovating Lake Pleasant Dock

The Clallam County Parks, Fair and Facilities Department will use this grant to replace storm-

damaged pilings and repair and refloat the boat dock structure at Lake Pleasant County Park.

The boat launch is the only public access to Lake Pleasant.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Boating Facilities

Program. (22-2063)

Forks Grant Awarded: $350,000

Upgrading Spartan Field

The City of Forks, in partnership with the Quillayute Valley School District, will use this grant to

add a bathroom, fencing, and paving at Spartan Field. The City will replace the outdated barbed

wired and chain link fence around the field and play area. The City will pave the grass area to the

northwest and around the new bathroom to tie these areas to the grandstand. The field is the

hub of the community and used regularly for programed events to everyday youth pick-up

games. Multi-generational families enjoy the facility because it is a safe and clean environment

for them to experience a healthy outdoor experience. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities

program. (22-1637)

North Olympic Land Trust Grant Awarded: $137,631

Conserving a Dungeness Hub Farm

The North Olympic Land Trust will use grant to buy a conservation easement

to conserve the

9.79-acre Dungeness Hub, owned by Nash's Organic Produce, one of the first organic farms in

western Washington. The Dungeness area of Sequim is renowned as the agricultural heart of

Clallam County, which is at great risk of development. The farm contains prime agricultural soil

and serves as a hub by supporting several surrounding farms with infrastructure, including a

packing shed, large walk-in cooler, office space, greenhouses, and ready access to water in an

area that receives less than twenty inches of rain annually. The farm is in the middle of 600 acres

of already conserved land for farming, waterfowl, and river restoration. Visit RCO’s online Project

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1533)

North Olympic Land Trust Grant Awarded: $421,180

Preserving Mid Valley Farm

The North Olympic Land Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

for the

fifty-four-acre Mid Valley Farm. The farm is on the edge of the rapidly expanding Sequim, and is

integral to Maple View Farm, one of the last two dairies in Clallam County. Preservation of Mid

Valley Farm will protect this critically important link to the agricultural history of western

Washington, preserve prime agricultural soils, and extinguish at least nine development rights

on lands best suited for agriculture. The conservation of Mid Valley Farm also will meet

recreation goals by preserving rural scenic vistas for bicyclists and drivers along this busy route,

and for birders who enjoy the state-protected trumpeter and tundra swans that use fields in the

winter. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1524)

Port of Port Angeles Grant Awarded: $257,250

Replacing the John Wayne Marina Boarding Float

The Port of Port Angeles will use this grant to replace the thirty-seven-year-old boarding float at

the John Wayne Marina public boat launch. The environmentally compliant new float will be

accessible to people with disabilities. The 300-slip marina was built in 1985 and has a public,

two-lane boat ramp, boarding floats, picnic area, restrooms, beach access, and parking lot for

the public to enjoy the recreational activities on Sequim Bay and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-1823)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Buying Land Along the Sol Duc River

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to buy about thirty-eight acres just north

of Forks to provide access to the world renown Sol Duc River for boating and fishing. The land is

in a large turn of the river and contains old-growth trees, more than a half-mile of waterfront, an

opening on the south end with a natural boat launch area, and a partially cleared area to

accommodate tent and trailer camping. It is downriver of the Sol Duc Hatchery boat launch and

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Maxfield Road Access site and would provide the only public access below these two launches

for more than 16 miles. It also would provide an extremely important area for taking out boats

before the river becomes more technical and unnavigable for many boaters. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs o

f this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1734)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $1,095,250

Conserving Twin River

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to buy 216 acres of habitat along West

Twin River directly adjacent to the Salish Sea. The site includes some of the most complex and

diverse shorelines of the Salish Sea. The land includes shoreline, river, coastal wetland, and forest

habitat on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Acquisition will protect and enhance the natural processes

in one of the remaining functional ecological systems in western Washington. Many fish use the

shoreline, including Chinook, coho and chum salmon; cutthroat, steelhead, and bull trout; and

forage fish. In addition, it has intact eelgrass and kelp beds and provides rich shorebird and

migratory bird habitat, including a flight corridor for federally listed marbled murrelet. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

f this project. This is

from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1240)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $184,800

Maintaining Trails near Port Angeles

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain forty-four miles of off-road

vehicle trails and trailheads in the Foothills and Sadie Creek trail systems in the Port Angeles

area on the north Olympic Peninsula. Crews will reroute trail sections, clear trails, maintain

drainage structures, lay crushed rock to harden sections of trail, inspect and maintain bridges

and signs, remove litter, and maintain and repair restrooms and signs. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. Th

is grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2013)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,036,711

Expanding Hoko River State Park

State Parks will use this grant to buy about seventeen acres in the long-term boundary of Hoko

River State Park. The land is critical for the protection and restoration of the Hoko River and its

floodplain. State Parks is working with partners to improve salmon and other wildlife habitat

along the Hoko River, and this purchase will help facilitate restoration and provide opportunities

for low-impact recreational use. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1723)

More projects in Clallam County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Clark County

Camas Grant Awarded: $1,250,000

Completing the Missing Link in the Green Mountain Greenbelt

The City of Camas will use this grant to buy fifty-five acres of forest, the missing link needed to

create a continuous, protected greenbelt when combined with the Green Mountain area and

partner-owned lands to the east and west. The land will support a variety of recreational

activities including hiking, jogging, biking, and nature watching, as well as opportunities for

scenic viewpoints. Additionally, this land connects to the Lacamas Lake trail system and has the

potential to connect regionally to Camp Bonneville and to the Lake-to-Lake future trail systems.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1604)

Camas Grant Awarded: $500,000

Improving Lacamas Creek Trailhead

The City of Camas will use this grant to improve the Lacamas Creek trailhead on the south end

of Lacamas Lake Regional Park. The City will add paved parking, a restroom, pathways accessible

to people with disabilities, picnic areas, signs, landscaping, and improved stormwater systems.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1469)

Camas Grant Awarded: $500,000

Rejuvenating Crown Park

The City of Camas will use this grant to begin renovating Crown Park, a 7.3-acre park in a

residential neighborhood on the north side of downtown Camas. The City will build an

interactive water play feature, inclusive play areas, a restroom, and pathways and install some

furnishings. Donated to the city in 1934, Crown Park is an aging, developed park with mature fir

trees, a picnic shelter, two play areas, a basketball half-court, two tennis courts, and Scout Hall. It

is also the community's gathering space, especially for summer events such as concerts and

movies. As a legacy park for Camas, the park is ready for rejuvenation. Visit RCO’s online Project

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1468)

Vancouver Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Buying Land for a Fenton Community Park

The Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department will use this grant to buy

forty-four acres for a community park in east Vancouver, the most underserved community in

the city. The site includes expansive open fields, a high-quality wooded wetland, meadows,

Oregon white oaks (protected species), a fish-bearing stream, and abundant wildlife. The future

development of the land might include wetland- and woodland-themed play structures, sports

fields, picnic areas, walking trails, environmental interpretive signs, and boardwalks and

viewpoints into the wetlands. The creek, a tributary of Fifth Plain Creek, offers a potential

destination for the regional trail system. The land is next to elementary and middle schools,

which offers opportunities for expanded pedestrian paths, environmental education, and shared

parking. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services

Department of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1496)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $65,000

Making Trail Repairs

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to demolish and rebuild a bridge and

repair the surface of the Cedar Creek Americans with Disabilities Act Trail in the western Yacolt

Burn State Forest, about twenty miles northeast of Vancouver. The department also will restore a

viewing platform at an overlook and install interpretive and information signs. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. Th

is grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-1952)

More projects in Clark County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Columbia County

Columbia County Grant Awarded: $143,000

Improving Irrigation at the Touchet Valley Golf Course

Columbia County will use this grant to install underground sprinklers on half of the nine-hole

Touchet Valley Golf Course. The new system will eliminate moving sprinklers by hand, decrease

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

sprinkler conflict with users, resolve a water supply issue, and keep more water in the Touchet

River, which is home to multiple endangered species. Underground sprinklers are being installed

on the part of the golf course not owned by the County. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities

program. (22-1536)

Projects in Cowlitz County

Cowlitz County Grant Awarded: $77,250

Replacing a Restroom at the Cowlitz Public Shooting Range

The Cowlitz County Parks and Recreation Division will use this grant to replace a portapotty with

a restroom accessible to people with disabilities at its trap range at the Cowlitz Public Shooting

Range. The current restrooms are about one-fifth mile from the trap range. Work will include

installing a new septic system and extending a water line and electricity to the new restroom.

This will allow the range to accommodate expanded practice group events and trap shooting

competitions. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Firearms and Archery Range Recreation grant program. (22-2252)

U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Grant Awarded: $140,000

Maintaining Mount Saint Helens Front Country Trails

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest will use this grant to maintain trails in the Mount Saint

Helens National Volcanic Monument. Crews will repair trail surfaces, install and maintain

retaining structures and signs, remove fallen trees and overgrown brush, and maintain drainage

structures. More than 200,000 people annually visit the monument, which is one of the most

iconic and memorable locations in Washington State. In 1982 Congress created the 110,000-

acre monument to protect and preserve this unique backcountry landscape. The monument’s

trail network is critical to providing hikers, recreationists, educators, and scientists access to

Mount St. Helens’ unique landscape, while limiting the impacts of off-trail activities. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from

the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-1990)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $533,000

Restoring the Banks of the Toutle River

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to install log structures in a three-mile

stretch of the North Fork Toutle River, in the Mudflow Unit of the Mount Saint Helens Wildlife

Area. The department will place lateral log wall structures in the river to move the water away

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

from eroding banks and small logjams in the river to slow the water and create a more stable

river channel. This work will slow bank erosion and allow recovery of the forest along the

riverbank, ultimately improving habitat for salmon species and wintering elk. Logjams create

places for salmon to rest, feed, and hide from predators. They also slow the water, which

reduces erosion and allows small rocks to settle to the bottom to create spawning areas. Finally,

they change the flow of the water, creating riffles and pools, which give salmon more varied

habitat. The department also will plant trees along the banks, which shades the water, keeping it

cool for salmon. The plants also drop branches and leaves into the water, which provide food for

the insects that salmon eat. Finally, the roots of the plants help keep soil from entering the

water, where it can smother spawning gravel. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1689)

Woodland Grant Awarded: $308,914

Adding Artificial Turf to a Scott Hill Park Soccer Field

The City of Woodland will use this grant to install artificial turf on one of three soccer fields in

the new Scott Hill Park and Sports Complex in the northeast part of town, off Scott Hill Road.

When finished, the complex will be home to about forty acres of sports fields, paved trails,

restrooms, a covered shelter, a batting cage, concessions, and 450 parking stalls. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1639)

More projects in Cowlitz County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Douglas County

Bridgeport Grant Awarded: $500,000

Beginning Renovation of Berryman Park

The City of Bridgeport will use this grant to complete the first phase of the renovation of

Berryman Park by replacing outdated playground equipment, restrooms, a picnic shelter, and a

sports court. The City also will build connecting pathways, add lights, and improve parking. The

existing amenities, particularly the restroom, picnic shelter, and play equipment, have exceeded

their lifespans and need to be replaced for safety and functionality. The City will install a resilient

ground surface at the playground; resurface and stripe the sports court for multiple sports

including basketball, pickle ball, and tennis; and renovate or replace the fence. The new

pathways will be accessible to people with disabilities and will connect each of the amenities

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

with a new handicapped parking space. Finally, the City will install a new entry sign and an

interpretative sign describing the history of the park and the military hardware that is featured

prominently in the park. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1563)

Chelan-Douglas Land Trust Grant Awarded: $298,500

Conserving Kane Ranch

The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust will use this grant to buy a voluntary land preservation

agreement, also called a conservation easement, on the 3,040-acre Kane Ranch in the Badger

Mountain area in East Wenatchee. The land includes critical habitat for sage-grouse and is an

integral piece of the habitat protections and investments already in place on adjacent land. The

2020 Pearl Hill fire burned more than 50 percent of all known sage-grouse leks in Douglas

County and more than 40 percent of all existing habitat. The Badger Mountain area now

contains the state's largest known active lek. Sage-grouse rely on large intact landscapes of

shrub-steppe habitat, largely tied to private lands and rural agriculture. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1275)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $229,700

Restoring the Banks of West Foster and China Creeks

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to restore 0.35 mile of West Foster Creek

in the Wells Wildlife Area and 0.4 mile of China Creek in the Big Bend Wildlife Area. Floods and

wildfires have damaged these creeks and creek-side plants, especially water birch. Water birch is

the preferred winter forage habitat for the endangered Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Fires

destroyed many water birch stands, forcing the grouse elsewhere in search of food. The

department will install beaver dam replicas and post structures to slow water flow, reduce

erosion, and allow the water to reconnect with adjacent plant communities. In addition, the

department will remove invasive vegetation and plant native trees, shrubs, and forbs along the

creek banks. Planting the creek banks will help reduce erosion because the plant roots hold back

sediment. Long-term, the project will allow the creeks to meander, improve water quality,

increase groundwater recharge, expand creek bank buffer areas, and reestablish habitat

preferred by the endangered grouse. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1690)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $1,729,255

Buying Shrub-Steppe in the Two Steppe Natural Area

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy and manage 1,380 acres in Two

Steppe Natural Area Preserve in Douglas County. The preserve was established in 1997 to

protect three, high-quality plant communities and to provide habitat for species listed on both

federal and state endangered species lists, including sage grouse, sage sparrow, sage thrasher,

and golden eagle. Shrub-steppe has been fragmented by conversion to farms, altered by

invasive species, and degraded by incompatible land management practices. The preserve is in

the Moses Coulee National Sage Grouse Priority Area for Conservation and in the breeding area

of the Douglas-Grant County greater sage-grouse population. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1293)

More projects in Douglas County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in Ferry County

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Grant Awarded: $180,000

Developing Rogers Bar as a Boating Destination

The Colville Tribes will use this grant to help plan recreational boating facilities at Rogers Bar,

twenty miles south of the town of Inchelium, on the shores of Lake Roosevelt. The Tribe will

conduct outreach to identify priorities such as launches, docks, and campsites for developing a

portion of this 300-acre site that has been a camping and recreation area for more than sixty

years. The area is used for motorboating, water skiing, swimming, hiking, fishing, and camping.

The Colville Indian Reservation is very remote and a developed recreation site at Rogers Bar will

be a major addition to local services and recreation in the area. The site is unique because it is

primarily accessible by boat only. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2190)

More projects in Ferry County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Garfield County

Pomeroy Grant Awarded: $350,000

Lighting Ball Fields

The City of Pomeroy will use this grant to light three of the ball fields in the Pomeroy

baseball/softball complex. There are no lights at the facility. Lighting the fields will allow more

time for practice by Little League teams and allow games to be held later in the day so parents

can watch their kids’ games after work. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1698)

Pomeroy Grant Awarded: $350,000

Improving the Pomeroy Football Field

The City of Pomeroy will use this grant to improve the football and track facility. The City will

replace the field lights and poles, pave the parking lot, update the entrance, and repair and

update the press box and storage building. If the lights aren’t replaced soon, they will have to be

taken down, preventing the Youth Football Program from practicing. There are no other fields in

town. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project.

This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1699)

Projects in Grant County

Grant County Grant Awarded: $59,990

Maintaining the Moses Lake Sand Dunes Recreation Area

The Grant County Sheriff's Office will use this grant to operate and maintain offroad vehicle use

at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes. Employees will repair fences, clean restroom, repair and replace

signs, control noxious weeds, and remove litter. This project is important to the local community

as the deputies will be able to be service various user groups, protect the land, and promote

responsible offroad vehicle use at the dunes. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2157)

Royal City Grant Awarded: $350,000

Building a Soccer Field in Lions Park

Royal City will use this grant to develop a soccer field in Lions Park. The soccer field will be a

natural turf field with movable goals, a perimeter fence, and parking. The field will allow the City

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

to better meet youth sports needs and expand the outdoor recreational opportunities for

residents. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1704)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $150,000

Developing a Shooting Range at Lake Lenore

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to develop a target shooting site at Lake

Lenore in the Sun Lakes Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area, about 5.4 miles north of the

town of Soap Lake. The site will have a 100- and 200-yard berm, covered shooting pads,

shooting benches, and a fire line perimeter that is treated and mowed to prevent fires. Much of

the habitat in this area has turned into grassland because of wildfires started from an existing

shooting site. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Firearms and Archery Range Recreation grant program. (22-1979)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $1,465,000

Developing the Glen Williams Access Site

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to complete the renovation of the Glen

Williams access site on Potholes Reservoir in Grant County. The department will install three

toilets and a boat-loading float and pave the parking areas. This site receives the highest public

use of any access site on Potholes Reservoir and is the only public access usable during reservoir

drawdown. It is in need of redevelopment after many years of maximum use. As one of the

premiere recreational destinations in the Pacific Northwest, Glenn Williams access serves

anglers, hunters, and watersport enthusiasts year-round at Potholes Reservoir. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Boating Facilities Program. (22-2029)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $200,000

Planning the Redevelopment of the Vernita Bridge Boat Launch

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to plan the redevelopment of a primitive

boat launch, just upstream of Vernita Bridge on the north side of the Columbia River, about

10 miles southeast of Mattawa. The department will conduct environmental and cultural

resource surveys and consult with tribes to develop a site plan and design. No developed boat

ramp or formal parking, fluctuating water levels, insufficient areas to beach boats, and crowding

has meant that visitors are launching from inappropriate areas and damaging the surrounding

area. The redeveloped site is expected to have a plank boat ramp, a delineated access route and

parking area, toilets, kiosks, and interpretive signs. The site is used as a launch point for salmon

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

fishing, camping, and boating. The nearest launch is 18.5 river miles downstream at the Saddle

Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-1984)

More projects in Grant County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Grays Harbor County

Forterra Northwest Grant Awarded: $500,000

Conserving Polson Heritage Forest

Forterra will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

on eighty acres of forestland known

as the Polson Heritage Forest, in Grays Harbor County. The land has second-growth trees, a

wetland, a small pond, and streams. If not protected, the land faces increasing threats of rural

residential development. Forterra is partnering with the Polson Museum and Girl Scouts of

Western Washington to showcase the local, cultural, and historical resources of the region and

site. The Polson Museum is a respected local nonprofit leader in historical and educational

programming, including a mobile sawmill. These kinds of tourism and educational opportunities

will support community programming and generate long-term revenue to complement and

enhance forest management. The Girl Scout camp infrastructure, including a lodge, A-frame

cabins, and open-air sleeping bunks, will be used recreationally. Conservation of the forest will

preserve the forest legacy that characterizes the region. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1622)

Forterra Northwest Grant Awarded: $1,612,450

Expanding Montesano’s Community Forest

Forterra will use this grant to buy 240 acres in Montesano to expand the City's community

forest, the Chaplin Collins Memorial Forest. The forest will be managed to sustainably harvest

timber to support the quality of life for current and future generations of Montesano residents.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Community Forests Program. (22-1568)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Port of Grays Harbor Grant Awarded: $117,500

Renovating Friends Landing Boat Launch

The Port of Grays Harbor will use this grant to design, engineer, and permit the redevelop of the

boat launch at Friends Landing, just outside of Montesano. The Port’s plans call for construction

of a concrete boarding ramp in the existing boat launch parking area and paving of the existing

parking area for boat trailer parking. Friends Landing was developed as the first of its kind,

universally accessible, outdoor recreation facility in the early 1990s. It is used as a boat launch

for recreational boating and fishing in the Chehalis River. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Boating Facilities

Program. (22-2196)

Port of Grays Harbor Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Replacing Westport Float 21 Guest Moorage

The Port of Grays Harbor will use this grant to add guest moorage at a small waterfront property

in the southeast portion of the Westport Marina in Westport. The Port will provide fourteen

recreational guest moorage slips with a gangway that will allow people with disabilities access to

a nearby boat launch, parking lot, and plaza. The guest moorage will simplify the overall use of

the neighboring facilities in the midst of a heavy commercial area, drastically improving boater

usability. The Port also will add signs and lights to ensure safety during early morning and often

challenging weather conditions associated with ocean fishing. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Boating

Facilities Program. (22-2039)

Washington Farmland Trust Grant Awarded: $401,562

Conserving the Torres Dairy

Washington Farmland Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

to preserve

more than 350 acres of prime farmland and critical habitat in the Chehalis River basin and help

ensure a dairy remains forever. Jose Torres started on the farm as a milker when the Goeres

family owned and operated the entire operation. During the past decade, the Torres family has

taken on more of the operation, and eventually purchased the business. An easement on the

entirety of the land that supports the dairy will facilitate the sale of the remainder of the land

and buildings to the Torres family by making it more affordable. Visit RCO’s online Project

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1711)

Westport Grant Awarded: $500,000

Building a Skatepark and Pump Track

The City of Westport will use this grant to develop a skatepark and pump track in the heart of

town at Druzianich Park. This facility will be the first of its kind in the rural coastal community of

Westport, filling a need for an outdoor space where people can enjoy activities such as

skateboarding, rollerblading, biking, and scooters. The facility will be constructed of concrete for

durability and low maintenance. Druzianich Park was selected as the location because it is on the

Grays Harbor Transit line and near the local grocery store, library, and Little League field. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1413)

More projects in Grays Harbor County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the

end of this document.

Projects in Island County

Back Country Horsemen of Washington Grant Awarded: $7,000

Launching the Scouts and Stock on the Trail Program

The Back Country Horsemen of Washington will use this grant to host a series of outdoor and

classroom events for scout troops to introduce them to horsemanship and trail stewardship

activities such as trail construction and maintenance, civic engagement, outdoor safety, and

environmental stewardship. The pilot program will begin in Island County and once fully

developed, expand to other Back Country Horsemen chapters across the state. The goal is to

recruit the next generation of volunteer trail stewards and enhance relationships between the

horsemen and local scouts in a fun, hands-on environment where scouts can learn how to safely

interact with horses and mules. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2386)

South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District Grant Awarded: $451,800

Building Pickleball Courts at the Sports Complex

The South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District will use two grants to design and build six

pickleball courts with a paved walkway and storage building for court maintenance equipment

at the Sports Complex. Two years ago, a small group of people approached district staff to paint

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

two pickleball courts in the Sports Complex parking lot. Since then, the district has been

approached twice more to add more courts in the parking lot. The four courts painted there

now have displaced needed parking. This project will provide a permanent place for pickleball

and free up parking. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. The grants are from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and the

Youth Athletic Facilities program (22-1455)

Whidbey Camano Land Trust Grant Awarded: $1,069,250

Expanding Bell's Farm

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust will use this grant to buy conservation easements

214 acres of historic, working farmland near Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve on

Whidbey Island. The purchase would expand the historic Bell's Farm, which was purchased by

the Mueller family in 1946. The farm raises about 35 head of ancient white park cattle,

125 sheep, 60 hogs, 6 acres of strawberries, and 2 acres of market garden as well as producing

hay for the animals. The farm employs eleven full-time workers and more than forty seasonal

workers. Its sweet, June strawberries are a renowned Whidbey Island tradition. Since, the farm

owners have reinvigorated Bell's with a focus on organic, regenerative practices, turning around

a struggling operation into a thriving hub of local food production and education. Using the

animals in a rotational grazing system combined with regular soil testing, Bell's uses no synthetic

fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. Conservation of the additional land will allow Bell’s to

expand and provide more public access and an incubator site for beginning farmers. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1662)

More projects in Island County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Jefferson County

Jefferson Land Trust Grant Awarded: $490,214

Expanding the Quimper Wildlife Corridor

The Jefferson Land Trust will use this grant to buy nearly 50 acres to expand the 245-acre

Quimper Wildlife Corridor, in Port Townsend. Jefferson County, Port Townsend, and the land

trust have worked since the mid-1990s to conserve a 3.5-mile corridor of forest and wetlands

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

that follows the city's largest drainage basin across the north Quimper Peninsula. The corridor

provides habitat for more than 130 bird species, including state priority species Vaux's swift and

golden eagle, as well as amphibians, mountain beaver, bobcat, cougar, deer, elk, and other

wildlife. An extensive network of trails through the corridor provide access to the public for

hiking, horse riding, biking, bird watching, school nature programs, and educational activities.

The land trust also will use the grant to update a management plan and inventory the rare, old-

growth trees scattered in the forest. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1415)

Jefferson Land Trust Grant Awarded: $750,000

Preserving Quilcene Farmland

The Jefferson Land Trust will use this grant to buy conservation easements

on Humbleberry

and Schmidt Farms, located next to each other about one mile northeast of Quilcene at the head

of Quilcene Bay. The farms have 115 acres of working farmland, prime agricultural soils, parts of

salmon-spawning Jakeway and Donovan Creeks, and wetlands. The farms are next to other

permanently protected fish habitat, farmland, and working forestland properties. Conserving the

land will prevent subdivision and eliminate the estimated four remaining development rights.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1408)

Port Townsend Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Replacing Herb Beck Marina Boat Launch

The Port of Port Townsend will use this grant to replace and enhance the Herb Beck Marina Boat

Launch, which serves Quilcene and Dabob Bays. The existing facilities are not accessible to

people with disabilities and need repairs. The Port will install an improved ramp, access wedge,

and handling float, which will allow a wider range of trailered boats to safely use the facility,

ease launching and retrieval, provide float space for temporary tie ups, and free up space in the

marina for up to four overnight moorage slips. In addition, the Port will upgrade the parking

area and renovate the restroom. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2095)

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $642,896

Expanding the Dabob Bay Natural Area

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy nearly eight acres, including

saltwater shoreline, mature forest, and streams in the Dabob Bay Natural Area, in Jefferson

County. The purchase will protect permanently the natural processes that occur on a shoreline,

such as moving sediment and woody materials, to aid the bay's high-quality coastal spits. The

land has 5.7 acres of uplands and 809 feet of shoreline, including 652 feet of streams. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1289)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,397,000

Extending Olympic Discovery Trail

State Parks will use this grant to build a trail link in Anderson Lake State Park to the Olympic

Discovery Trail and enhance the trailhead to create a new access point in the park. The trail is

used for walking, running, bicycling, horseback riding, wildlife watching. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1483)

More projects in Jefferson County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in King County

Black Diamond Grant Awarded: $350,000

Building a Black Diamond Skate Park

The City of Black Diamond will use this grant to replace a popular skate park that was removed

from behind Black Diamond Elementary School in 2021 because it was unsafe. The City will build

an in-ground, concrete skate park in the same location as the previous skate park. The City also

will build a restroom, improve parking, and add pathways, benches, picnic tables, and lighting.

The skate park’s features will incorporate history, such as a coal car and black diamonds within

the ramps and bowls. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1753)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Covington Grant Awarded: $908,000

Expanding SoCo Park

The City of Covington will use this grant to buy 1.7 acres to expand SoCo Park. The land is next

to the park and in a high-demand area for commercially developable land. The City plans to use

the land for open lawns, trails, pickleball courts, play spaces, park shelters, restrooms, and

parking. Purchase of the land will protect environmentally sensitive areas associated with Jenkins

Creek and provide for a future segment of the Jenkins Creek trail that will run through the city

connecting neighborhoods and commercial centers. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife

and Recreation Program. (22-1628)

Des Moines Grant Awarded: $681,903

Replacing the Restroom at the Redondo Boat Launch

The City of Des Moines will use this grant to replace the Redondo boat launch restroom with

one in the parking lot across Redondo Beach Drive. The City also will add a boat wash station,

landscape, and make minor parking lot improvements to accommodate the new restroom. The

new restroom is in a location that is less affected by tides and earthquake concerns than the

current, over-water location. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-1865)

Kent Grant Awarded: $475,000

Buying Land for a Trailhead at Mill Creek Canyon Park

The City of Kent will use this grant to buy 2.25 acres for a trailhead park at the south end of Mill

Creek Canyon Park. Buying the land fulfills a long-term goal of creating a pedestrian connection

from downtown to the East Hill of Kent. Additionally, this location provides an important anchor

for the Mill Creek Canyon trail system. The City will buy the land, demolish a residence and

septic system, and grade the site for use as a public open space park. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1362)

Kent Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Buying the Ruth Property at Clark Lake Park

The City of Kent will use this grant to buy the remaining seventeen acres of private land at Clark

Lake Park, completing city ownership of 150 acres for the park. Located on the East Hill of Kent,

Clark Lake Park is surrounded by dense residential development. The addition of the seventeen

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

acres will allow for completion of a loop trail with views of Clark Lake and opportunities for a

more formal use area in the park. The park is used primarily for walking, hiking, birdwatching,

and other passive-use recreation. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1478)

Kent Grant Awarded: $500,000

Renovating Springwood Park

The City of Kent will use this grant to redevelop the 10-acre Springwood Park on the southeast

hill of Kent. This park was developed initially in 1992 by King County and transferred to Kent in

1996. The City will expand the children's play area and add walking paths, a community

gathering space, a shelter, picnic tables, open lawns, barbecue grills, stormwater infrastructure, a

sports court, and benches. Kent will contribute $2.5 million. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington

Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1372)

King County Grant Awarded: $200,000

Installing Trail Bridges in Taylor Mountain Forest

The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks will use this grant to install three

trail bridges in Taylor Mountain Forest. Installation of two bridges will ensure the southern trail

system stays open. A current undersized bridge is at risk of failure, and if closed, would sever

access to a two-mile trail loop. A third trail bridge will improve protection of a fish-bearing

stream and provide a safe year-round crossing on the main trail leaving the trailhead. The nearly

2,000-acre park features thirty miles of trails for riding horses, hiking, trail running, and

mountain biking, about twenty-five miles southeast of Seattle. It is part of the popular "Issaquah

Alps" and is next to Raging River and Tiger Mountain State Forests. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities program. (22-1950)

Mercer Island Grant Awarded: $3,000,000

Renovating Luther Burbank Park’s Waterfront

The City of Mercer Island will use three grants to renovate the waterfront in Luther Burbank Park.

The City will replace the portion of the park dock that serves powerboats on Lake Washington.

The dock was built in 1974 and needs extensive repairs to meet the needs of small powerboat

recreators. The City will install a ten-foot-wide concrete floating dock with two finger piers

designed to lessen the force of boat wakes that have damaged the current dock. The City also

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

will install a floating dock for non-motorized small craft, overwater stairs, a viewing deck and

outdoor classroom, and restrooms. Finally, the City will expand the cobble beach with a route

accessible to people with disabilities, pave the plaza, and add furnishings, landscaping, signs,

and art. The work is part of a larger initiative to renovate the fifty-year-old waterfront for a range

of activities. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshots for here and here

for more information and

photographs of these projects. These grants are from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account,

Boating Facilities Program, and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-2033 and

22-1611)

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Grant Awarded: $10,000

Training Trailhead Ambassadors

The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust will use this grant to support its Trailhead Ambassador

Program. These ambassadors teach visitors about how to protect public lands in the Mountains

to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area, which is a corridor of natural and recreation lands

and communities spanning 1.5 million acres from Seattle to Ellensburg along Interstate 90.

Trailhead Ambassadors aim to inspire the next generation of public land stewards and reduce

the damage caused by crowds at popular trails and trailheads. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the federal

Recreational Trails Program. (22-2368)

Renton Grant Awarded: $350,000

Building Pickleball Courts in Talbot Hill Reservoir Park

The City of Renton will use this grant to design and improve tennis and pickleball courts in

Talbot Hill Reservoir Park, which is 1.5 miles south of downtown near the interchange of

Interstate 405 and State Route 167. The courts are the only dedicated pickleball courts in the

city, but are in poor condition, with slopes, lack of barriers between the court backlines, and

pooling water that creates slippery conditions. The City will convert a tennis court to two

pickleball courts and improve drainage and the court surface on the existing pickleball courts.

The City also will install fencing, a covered seating area, a water fountain, a bike rack, benches,

garbage containers, and paddle holders. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities

program. (22-1696)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Seattle Grant Awarded: $2,300,000

Building a Rail Overpass at Carkeek Park

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use two grants to replace a pedestrian bridge

in Carkeek Park that provides the only safe access over railroad tracks to the beach. The bridge

has corroded steel and cracked concrete. The 220-acre Carkeek Park is one of three

Environmental Learning Centers in Seattle’s parks system, providing year-round environmental

education, stewardship, and conservation programming to a large number of visitors and school

groups. The bridge provides a vital connection to the shoreline, beach, and a salmon-spawning

creek. The department will install a cable-stayed style bridge with a gentle ramp leading to a

viewing platform overlooking the trains below and Puget Sound. The bridge will be fully

accessible to people with disabilities The current design also provides stairs to the beach. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. The grants

are from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1256)

Seattle Grant Awarded: $500,000

Building a Rainier Beach Playfield Skatepark

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to build a skateboard area in

Rainier Beach Playfield in southeast Seattle. Rainier Beach is one of the most demographically

diverse communities in Seattle and among the most underserved in park resources. The grant

will help pay for demolition, erosion control, grading, and installation of stormwater

infrastructure, a skateboard facility, picnic shelters, a circular pathway, seating, tables, and

landscaping. There are two public schools next to the playfield. The project is community driven

with residents bringing project ideas to the department, securing funding for the planning and

design stages using Seattle Neighborhood Matching Funds, and participating in outreach

including large public meetings, classroom visits, and events at the site. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1255)

Seattle Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Building South Leschi Guest Moorage

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to build a dock for guest

moorage at Leschi Park, on the western shore of Lake Washington. The L-shaped dock will

accommodate up to fifty-three boat and will have power, potable water, and a fire suppression

system. This guest moorage will be the only public guest moorage float along the twenty miles

of Seattle shoreline of Lake Washington from the existing marina to the Leschi community. The

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

new dock will increase guest moorage on the lake by 22 percent. Old creosote-contaminated

materials such as pilings and docks will be removed from the lake. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating

Facilities Program. (22-2052)

Seattle Grant Awarded: $500,000

Improving Little Brook Park

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to renovate the one-acre Little

Brook Park to include a play area, community garden, seating walls, gathering space, a central

lawn, picnic tables and grills, and a looped walking path–all interwoven under large trees with

views of a stream. This community-led project will improve this northeast Seattle park, which is

the only public green space in a high-density, diverse, low-income neighborhood. Separate

projects will provide interpretive signs about stream water quality and complete the street

frontage as a park extension. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1259)

Seattle Grant Awarded: $820,000

Redeveloping Stan Sayres Boat Launch

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to redevelop the Stan Sayres

boat launch, one of only two public boat launches, on Lake Washington. The department will

create four launch lanes and add boarding floats to two piers to create queuing space and make

entering and exiting boats easier. The department also will add grated gangways to connect the

piers to the boarding floats, making it safer and easier to access. The site is nearly unusable

today. Two launch lanes have been blocked off, two have concrete blocks in place to protect

boat launchers from huge potholes, and another section is unstable and sliding. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. T

his grant is from

the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2051)

Seattle Grant Awarded: $350,000

Renovating the Colman Pool Bathhouse

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to upgrade the bathhouse and

facilities at Colman Pool in Lincoln Park. Originally built in 1941, Colman Pool is one of only two

public outdoor pools in Seattle and the only public saltwater pool in King County. The pool is

used regularly for practice by swim teams and recreational lap swimmers. The locker rooms

remain largely unchanged since they were installed and present a barrier to people with

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

disabilities. Many of the cast-iron pipes and components of the sand filter system that draws

water from Puget Sound for swimming also are original. The City will renovate the locker rooms

to increase access for people of all abilities, provide restrooms and changing areas (none exist),

improve the caretaker residence, and provide several other improvements throughout the

bathhouse and on the pool deck to increase access to all users. The City also will update the

filter equipment and reinforce the bathhouse walls to withstand an earthquake. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1252)

Seattle Grant Awarded: $350,000

Renovating Soundview Playfield

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to renovate a grass playfield in

the 10-acre Soundview Park in northwest Seattle. The City will install about 114,000 square feet

of multi-purpose, all-weather synthetic turf and field amenities including lights, a looped

walking path, bleachers, and seat walls. The City also will improve the stormwater, electrical, and

irrigation systems. The project’s goal is to upgrade a well-loved park's field that frequently is

unplayable because of wet and muddy conditions. This project will enhance playability, improve

safety, and create an accessible facility. This project is important to the community because

youth participation in active sports is growing, while land for new sports facilities is limited.

Game-quality fields and accessible facilities are particularly lacking in this area of Seattle, where

the demand is high and most nearby playfields are grass. This project will support Little Leagues,

youth baseball and softball, soccer, football, lacrosse, and ultimate Frisbee. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1261)

Seattle Public Utilities Grant Awarded: $1,476,676

Expanding Upper Royal Arch Reach

Seattle Public Utilities will use two grants to buy twenty acres of floodplain on the Upper Royal

Arch Reach of the Cedar River, west of Maple Valley, to improve resting and rearing habitat for

Chinook and other salmon and trout species. This includes 720 feet of riverfront to be used for

future restoration. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

this project. These grants are from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account and the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1593)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining Highway 2 Trails and Campsites Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Skykomish Ranger District will use the grant to fund a crew to maintain recreation facilities

in King and Snohomish Counties. The crew will clean twelve vault toilets, pick up trash, clean

campsites, and maintain twenty-five trailheads. There are nearly 300 dispersed campsites that

serve more than 200,000 hikers, equestrians, campers, climbers, kayakers, rafters, anglers, and

hunters. This project will prevent further damage to sensitive streamside areas, wetlands, and

stream habitats while providing a safe recreational experience to the public. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project.

is grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2154)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Providing an Alpine Lakes Wilderness Patrol Grant Awarded: $200,000

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to pay for four backcountry rangers and two

interns to patrol trails on the Snoqualmie Ranger District for two years. Rangers will educate

visitors and enforce regulations while hiking and biking to backcountry destinations in the

300,000-acre district, which includes 111,000 acres in the Alpine Lakes, Norse Peak, and

Clearwater Wilderness areas. Rangers and volunteers will patrol more than 400 miles of trail and

hundreds of destination lakes, streams, and summits that provide a wide spectrum of recreation

opportunities including hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountain biking, fishing, hunting,

foraging, and horseback riding for more than 300,000 users each year. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. Th

is grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2222)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Providing Front Country Patrols Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to help support ten seasonal officers and

volunteers to deliver a robust education program that includes lookout tower staffing and

educational patrols during the summer and winter for two years. The employees and volunteers

are expected to make well more than 25,000 visitor contacts, with an emphasis on educating

novice visitors about environmental stewardship. The district typically hosts more than 1 million

users annually and steadily declining budgets and retiring employees have decreased its ability

to respond to recreation needs in these high-use areas along Interstate 90 and State Route 410.

The district encompasses 300,000 acres of which 189,000 are non-wilderness and accessible to a

broad range of visitors including campers, hikers, equestrians, off-road vehicles riders,

recreational target shooters, and hunters. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2233)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Improving Greenwater Campsites Grant Awarded: $86,310

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to improve dispersed campsites along three

major forest service roads crossing the forest, from the town of Greenwater toward Naches. Each

campsite will be developed with a metal fire ring, picnic table, and graveled parking area. Paths

to the campsites will be improved to protect the streamside plants. The work will protect the

environment from uncontained campfires, improper disposal of human waste, loss of

streambank plants, and garbage dumping in these popular recreation areas, while also making it

more manageable for staff to maintain. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle

Activities grant program. (22-2239)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining Evans Creek and Snoqualmie Riding Areas Grant Awarded: $200,000

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to maintain the Evans Creek ORV Park and

Campground and trails along State Route 410. Crews will maintain twenty-five miles of

four-wheel-drive and twenty-one miles of single-track trails at the Evans Creek park and twenty-

six miles of trail for motorized uses accessed from State Route 410. These include iconic trails

such as Suntop, Christoff, Divide Colquhuin, Grass Mountain, and the historic Naches Pass Four

Wheel Drive Trail. Combining maintenance of these two areas will allow the ranger district more

flexibility to address the many challenges present along the White River corridor. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. T

his grant is from

the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-1986)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining Skykomish Ranger District Trails Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Skykomish Ranger District will use this grant to fund trail crews, contractors, and volunteers

to maintain about 144 miles of hiking and stock trails in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National

Forest. Work will include removing fallen trees, clearing overgrown brush, restoring trail surfaces,

maintaining drainage structures, repairing bridges, removing boulders, restoring slides, and

fixing safety hazards. The crews also will move a heavily eroded segment of Blanca Lake Trail.

The trail system traverses the Alpine Lakes, Henry M. Jackson, and Wild Sky Wilderness Areas

and adjacent backcountry areas, and includes the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and the

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

barrier-free Iron Goat Trail. An estimated 200,000 visitors use the trails annually. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from

the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2146)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining the Alpine Lakes Trails Grant Awarded: $75,000

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to maintain 150 miles of recreation trails in

the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and surrounding backcountry. Crews will clear overgrown brush and

downed trees and repair trail surfaces and drainage structures. The work will be done during two

years on trails for non-motorized use in the watersheds of the North, Middle, and South Forks of

the Snoqualmie River, which include trails along Interstate 90. More than 300,000 visitors use

these trails each year. High visitor use, steep grades, dense forests, and winter storms create

ongoing maintenance needs. The work will reduce safety hazards, erosion, and vegetation loss,

and preserve trail structures and enhance public access to Seattle's prized "backdoor

wilderness." Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2202)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining the Snoqualmie Front Country Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to support two seasonal staff for two years to

maintain more than fifty trailheads, eight campgrounds, and hundreds of dispersed campsites

used by more than 500,000 visitors annually. The crews will maintain trailheads, repair facilities,

mitigate hazards, repair vandalism, and clean campsites. Throughout the year, visitors from the

Seattle area flock to the district for hiking, horseback riding, camping, off-road vehicle riding,

recreational target shooting, hunting and fishing, and climbing. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project.

is grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2232)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Rehabilitating the Denny Creek Trail Grant Awarded: $200,000

The Snoqualmie Ranger District will use this grant to rebuild 2.5 miles of the Denny Creek Trail

at Hemlock Pass. A lack of maintenance and extremely high use in the past 20 years has caused

the trail to erode and rock structures to break. Nearly 30,000 hikers use the Denny Creek Trail

every summer to reach the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, see waterfalls, swim in creeks, and visit

Melakwa Lake. It is a uniquely diverse trail less than one hour from downtown Seattle. Visit

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant

is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2240)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Studying Visitor Use of Alpine Lakes Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests will use this grant to

assess visitor use and management options in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness during the next two

years. The Forest Service has limited visitor use data and no objective method for evaluating

ways to mitigate trail deterioration, congestion at trailheads, and increasing density of

backcountry campsites. The study will examine how visitor use will respond to different

interventions and infrastructure improvements, and how these could affect the visitor

experience. The work will help managers at the two forests decide how best to increase access

to the Wilderness, address congestion at trailheads, and improve the condition of trails and

camping areas. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of

this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-1956)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $325,000

Building Trails Connecting to North Bend

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to design and build four miles of trail

and fourteen small trail bridges that will connect North Bend to the Raging River State Forest

Trail system in King County. The new trail will link Tennant Trailhead Park to Snoqualmie Point

Park and the Raging River State Forest Trail system. The trails are used for mountain biking,

gravel biking, trail running, and walking. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1559)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $200,000

Educating Visitors to the Snoqualmie Corridor

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for one full-time education and

enforcement specialist to patrol about 150 miles of trail, 5 trailheads, and several day-use sites

in the Interstate 90-Snoqualmie corridor, in eastern King County. Funding will cover the

purchase of small tools, minor equipment, and educational materials. This grant also will fund a

seasonal specialist to work in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie

National Forest and seasonal outreach interns to work with Mountains to Sound Greenway

Trust's Trailhead Ambassador program, which provides information to visitors to state and

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

federal recreational sites in the Snoqualmie corridor and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2077)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $4,042,562

Expanding Natural Resources Conservation Areas in King County

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy 38 acres at Mount Si,

330 acres at Middle Fork Snoqualmie, and 114 acres at West Tiger Mountain Natural Resources

Conservation Areas in east King County. The goal is to conserve land in the Mountains to Sound

Greenway that provides crucial habitat and is highly threatened by residential development. The

greenway is a 100-mile landscape of forests, wildlife habitat, and open areas along Interstate 90,

a National Scenic Byway. The conservation areas’ distinctive features include talus, high-

elevation lakes, streams, wetlands, old-growth and mature forests, cliffs, and landscape

connections for wildlife. Large mammals known to use the conservation areas include cougars,

bobcats, mountain goats, black bears, coyotes, and elk. Red-tailed hawks, ospreys, barred owls,

pygmy owls, and pileated woodpeckers also have been observed. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1378)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $149,900

Maintaining Snoqualmie Corridor Trails and Facilities

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain more than 150 miles of

trail, 4 trailheads, and 2 day-use areas in the West Tiger Mountain Natural Resources

Conservation Area, Tiger Mountain State Forest, Raging River State Forest, Rattlesnake Mountain

Scenic Area, and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Resources Conservation Area, in eastern King County

outside North Bend. These trails and recreation sites for nonmotorized users are among

Washington's most frequented and offer year-round recreational opportunities to the 4 million

residents of the Puget Sound metropolitan area. Many of western Washington's most iconic

recreational destinations are in this area, including: West Tiger #3, Mailbox Peak, and Dirty

Harry's Balcony and Peak for hikers and trail runners; East Tiger Mountain and Raging River

mountain bike trail systems; Poo Poo Point for free flight pilots, paragliders, and hang gliders;

and Exit 38-Far Side Climbing Area for climbing. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2076)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,687,770

Conserving the Green River Gorge

State Parks will use this grant to buy about fifty-two acres of the Icy Creek Ridge in the Green

River Gorge Conservation Area, near Black Diamond in King County. State Parks plans to use the

land for a trail along the south rim of the gorge, from Kanaskat-Palmer State Park to Flaming

Geyser State Park. This land is some of the last needed before trail development will be possible.

The landowner has platted the area into fourteen building sites for houses and developed roads.

Purchase of the land will prevent this development and the road will provide access for a future

trailhead for the South Rim Trail. The landowner is a willing seller. The Washington State

Legislature established the Green River Gorge Conservation Area in 1969 and directed State

Parks to begin buying land along the river. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1569)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,669,100

Expanding Saint Edward State Park

State Parks, with support from Forterra, will use this grant to buy a 6.4-acre forest in Kenmore

for inclusion in Saint Edward State Park. The two organizations will work to conserve one of the

last undeveloped and unprotected parcels of Lake Washington's shoreline. Forterra will buy a

conservation easement

on the land, preventing development, and then State Parks will buy the

land. The land is next to the park's northwest boundary and in the park’s long-term boundary.

Known as the Arrowhead property, the land includes 250 feet of undeveloped shoreline and 870

feet along two unnamed streams and their confluence. The project will conserve forever a forest

of Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, and madrone trees. The land functions as a

wildlife corridor for a range of species, including coyote, bobcat, long-tailed weasel, river otter,

mountain beaver, and pileated woodpecker, along with other smaller mammals, amphibians,

and birds. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

f this

project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1529)

More projects in King County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Kitsap County

Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District

Adding a Waterfront Park Dock Grant Awarded: $500,000

The Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District will use this grant to add a dock

for non-motorized sailing and paddle boards at the existing city dock in Eagle Harbor. This will

expand public access and provide space for sailing and paddle sport instruction. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs o

f this project. This grant is from

the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account. (22-1532)

Bainbridge Island Land Trust Grant Awarded: $1,850,000

Conserving Rockaway Bluff

The Bainbridge Island Land Trust will use this grant to buy the forty-five-acre Rockaway Bluff

Preserve, an exceptional forest lying upland of Rockaway Beach on Bainbridge Island. The

preserve forms the core of an extraordinary forest with wetland habitat and provides a stunning

visual impression of the island from the ferry. It serves as a refuge for many species, particularly

birds, displaced by development. The preserve is in the long plateau between two already

conserved public parks–Pritchard Park and Blakely Harbor Park–and its purchase will conserve

habitat connectivity permanently. This project protects one of the last eight parcels larger than

twenty acres, permanently protects key parts of a complex habitat network, supports watershed

functions and bluff stability, and ensures an enjoyable pedestrian trail network into the future.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

f this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1518)

Bremerton Trap & Skeet Club Grant Awarded: $70,000

Upgrading a Bremerton Range

The Bremerton Trap & Skeet Club will use this grant to rebuild one of its skeet houses, erect a

pole building for storage, and replace the fence between skeet fields. The club, in existence since

1939, provides safe, family friendly recreational access to the public to engage in the shotgun

sports of trap, skeet, five stand, and sporting clays. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Firearms and Archery Range

Recreation grant program. (22-1872)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Kitsap County Grant Awarded: $655,000

Expanding Illahee Preserve Heritage Park

The Kitsap County Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to buy up to 30 acres

bordering Bremerton to expand the 618-acre Illahee Preserve Heritage Park. Located in the

heart of the most densely populated area of Kitsap County, the preserve is a mature forest with

unique natural features, such as deeply incised canyons and areas so pristine and wild it has

been called "The Lost Continent." The land to be purchased is prime wildlife habitat and includes

a nearly half-mile of stream and stream bank and wildlife corridors connecting the preserve with

Illahee State Park. The purchase will bring the preserve within 98 percent of its ultimate size.

Public assess is provided by a trail system. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1613)

North Kitsap Little League Grant Awarded: $350,000

Renovating North Kitsap Little League Ball Fields

The North Kitsap Little League will use this grant to renovate two baseball/softball fields at

Snider Park, near Poulsbo. The league will convert the infields to synthetic turf and add field

lighting. The North Kitsap Little League has five fields at Snider Park but only one has lights and

none have synthetic turf. The lack of lighting and poor drainage of the dirt infields, limits the

number of games and playability of the fields. The renovations will improve the reliability and

availability of the fields for use throughout the year. In addition, the North Kitsap Little League

hosts the Challengers program, which is an opportunity for children with special needs to play

baseball and softball. The synthetic turf would make the infield accessible to children using

wheelchairs. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

f this

project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1721)

Port of Illahee Grant Awarded: $191,000

Replacing the Pilings at the Port of Illahee Public Pier

The Port of Illahee will use this grant to replace twenty severely deteriorated pilings supporting

the public pier at the Illahee dock. As one of a handful of public access points to the waterfront

between Bremerton and Brownsville, the Illahee dock has played a vital role in the Illahee

community, providing moorage and recreational access opportunities since 1916. Piling

replacement is critical to maintain public safety and access to this historic recreational

destination on the Puget Sound. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2038)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Port Orchard Grant Awarded: $500,000

Enhancing Port Orchard Waterfront Plaza

The City of Port Orchard will use this grant to develop the downtown waterfront. The City will

remove an old seawall, armoring, and debris; regrade the shoreline to a gently sloping beach

area; and build a viewpoint. The City also will replace an aging waterfront sidewalk and remove a

commercial structure and parking lot. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account.

(22-1648)

Port Orchard Grant Awarded: $147,000

Remodeling a Sport Court in Givens Park

The City of Port Orchard will use this grant to replace a deteriorated basketball court with a

combined futsal and basketball court, resurface two tennis courts to serve as both tennis and

pickleball courts, install seating, and create a path to the courts that is accessible to people with

disabilities in Givens Park. The City also will add fencing, lights, goals, and hoops to the

basketball court. This project seeks to satisfy two needs identified during the City's public park

planning process. The community enthusiastically supported adding pickleball courts and a Port

Orchard eighth-grader, named Isaac Nguyen, presented the City with a petition signed by

229 people asking for a futsal court. Futsal is a fast-paced, soccer-associated game played on a

hard court between two teams of five players each, including a goalkeeper. There are no

outdoor futsal courts on the Olympic or Kitsap Peninsulas and the nearest outdoor futsal

facilities are in King County. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1588)

Port of Poulsbo Grant Awarded: $548,000

Moving Poulsbo Guest Moorage

The Port of Poulsbo will use this grant to move its guest moorage facilities further into Liberty

Bay. Originally built in the 1980s, the guest moorage is too close to the shoreline, the floats

often get grounded, and a steep gangway isn’t accessible to people with disabilities. The Port

will move the moorage facilities further waterward to prevent damage caused by grounding of

moorage floats and to enable proper access by vessels and people at all tide levels. This popular

moorage facility is next to the historic, Norwegian-themed downtown Poulsbo, which sees

6,000 boat nights a year. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2105)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $3,884,685

Buying Hood Canal Shoreline in the Stavis Natural Resources Conservation Area

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy 169 acres along Hood Canal in

the Stavis Natural Resources Conservation Area, near Seabeck in Kitsap County. The purchase

will add to the conservation area and the Kitsap Forest Natural Area Preserve, which combined

provide high-quality and regionally diminishing wildlife habitat and are a crucial part of a larger

landscape of forestlands on the western Kitsap Peninsula. Acquisition will support wildlife in an

urbanizing area and protect Puget Sound shoreline habitat, mature forests, and critical wetlands.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This is

from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1295)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $164,901

Providing Education and Enforcement on Hood Canal

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to fund one full-time recreation warden

and additional police services to patrol eighty-five miles of trail, five campgrounds, seven

trailheads, and a multitude of dispersed and seasonal day-use areas in the Tahuya, Green

Mountain, and Hood Canal State Forests, the Stavis Natural Resources Conservation Area, and

other areas in Kitsap and Mason Counties. The staff will focus on enforcing off-road vehicle use

compliance and correcting safety issues. The warden also will support Forest Watch and camp

host volunteers in educating visitors about rules, regulations, and good stewardship principals,

and will help manage trail events in the forests. Funding also will be used to buy equipment.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This

grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2104)

More projects in Kitsap County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Kittitas County

Trust for Public Land Grant Awarded: $14,000,000

Conserving Springwood Ranch

The Trust for Public Land will use this grant to conserve 3,600 acres, known as Springwood

Ranch, near Thorp. The land, formerly owned by cattle rancher and restauranteur Stuart

Anderson, is uniquely situated from Thorp to Elk Heights between Interstate 90 and the Yakima

River. It includes a variety of landscapes including irrigated agricultural lands, pasture, shrub

steppe, as well as the lower portion of Taneum Creek where it connects with the Yakima River.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

The property is near or next to other protected land and the Palouse to Cascades State Park

Trail. In addition to conserving streambank and shrub steppe habitat and habitat for salmon and

other fish, conservation of the land could enable it to serve store water, providing flows for

migrating fish and extending the irrigation season for pro-ratable water users.

Kittitas Conservation Trust Grant Awarded: $1,245,089

Conserving a Yakima River Reach in Thorp

The Kittitas Conservation Trust will use this grant to buy 235 acres of floodplain including 1 mile

along the Yakima River in Thorp. This project will better protect multiple habitats and migration

corridors for steelhead, rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout, and Chinook and coho salmon as well

as many native fish and aquatic species. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1245)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Educating Off-Highway Vehicle Riders Grant Awarded: $200,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to pay for five rangers to educate off-highway

vehicle riders about responsible use of campsites, staging areas, and more than 250 miles of trail

in Kittitas and Yakima Counties. The rangers will be in field talking to visitors on weekends and

holidays from Memorial Day through late October for two years. The grant also will pay for

supplies, such as signs, safety gear, motorcycle tires, and motorcycle and jeep maintenance. The

Naches district trail system provides an estimated 10 percent of all trail opportunities for

motorized uses in Washington. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2286)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Naches Trails for Motorized Uses Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to pay for crews to clear 290 miles of trail and

maintain 250 miles of trail in two years. The maintenance would include clearing overgrown

brush, repairing drainage structures, restoring trail surfaces, and maintaining signs. Regular

maintenance reduces the need for costly reconstruction projects. The district's trail system

receives extensive use from an estimated 45,000 recreationists each year on its motorcycle and

four-wheel-drive trails. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2279)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $325,000

Redeveloping the Mattoon Lake Access Area

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to redevelop the Mattoon Lake Water

Access Site in Ellensburg. Located next to Interstate 90, the site is easy to get to and very

popular in the local community. The site has a parking lot, two vault toilets, a failing fishing

dock, and a boat launch. The department will install a larger fishing float, replace one of the

toilets and add access for people with disabilities, replace the entrance sign, and upgrade the

parking area and line it with rocks to reduce damage to adjacent habitat. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1474)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $380,000

Restoring the Taneum River Floodplain

The Department of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of

the Yakama Nation, will use this grant to place logjams in Taneum Creek, remove old road

materials from the floodplain, and realign a private road to reduce the amount of road fill in the

historic floodplain. The work is in a reach of the creek that has been straightened by humans

and become steeper. As a result, the water leaves the area quickly instead of being stored and

released as cold water late in the summer when young salmon are trying to grow before

heading to the ocean. The work will change the channel bed, reconnect the floodplain with the

creek more frequently, and restore former wet meadow habitat, providing resting and growing

areas for salmon. The department also will plant 3,000-5,000 plants in the floodplain. Planting

trees and bushes along the creek bank shades the water, keeping it cool for fish. The plants also

drop branches and leaves into the water, which provide food for the insects that salmon eat.

Finally, the roots of the plants help keep soil from entering the water, where it can smother

spawning gravel. The creek is used by steelhead trout, which is a species listed as threatened

with extinction under the federal Endangered Species Act, and for Chinook and coho salmon,

westslope cutthroat and resident rainbow trout, and lamprey. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1626)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $305,138

Building a West Fork Teanaway Trailhead

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to build a trailhead in the Teanaway

Community Forest, on the north side of the West Fork Teanaway Road, next to the West Fork

trail system. The department will build sixty-five parking stalls, a restroom, and two

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

informational kiosks. This new trailhead will serve non-motorized users for both summer and

winter recreation providing access to more than sixty miles of trail. The trails are used by hikers,

mountain bikers, and equestrians. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1348)

Washington State Conservation Commission Grant Awarded: $6,373,917

Conserving Swauk Prairie Farms

The State Conservation Commission will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

601 acres to preserve Swauk Prairie Farms and allow farming to continue into the future.

Designated a State Centennial Farm, the farm produces hay and is used for livestock grazing.

Conserving the farm will protect three "habitats of greatest conservation need" including

Columbia Basin foothill riparian woodland and shrubland, inter-mountain basins big sagebrush

steppe habitat, and northern Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine woodland. The farm also is

1.5 miles from the Teanaway Community Forest, a 50,241-acre landscape that lies at the

headwaters of the Yakima River Basin watershed. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1544)

U.S. Forest Service Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining the Cle Elum Front Country Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to pay for volunteers, contractors, partners, and

six employees to maintain seventeen campgrounds, thirty trailheads, numerous dispersed

camping and day-use sites, five boat launches, and two rental cabins in Kittitas County. Crews

will remove dangerous trees, clean up trash and dump sites, collect fees, clean restrooms, install

signs and bulletin boards, repair facilities and parking lots, and maintain picnic tables and fire

rings. The closeness to Puget Sound, coupled with a diverse array of outdoor recreation

opportunities, brings hundreds of thousands of summer visitors to the district. This work will

provide upkeep and basic operation of these high-use sites, protect natural areas next to

recreation sites, and prevent degradation of areas critical to threatened and endangered species,

such as spotted owls and bull trout. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle

Activities grant program. (22-2135)

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent

future development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Cle Elum Trails for Nonmotorized Uses Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a trail crew to maintain 326 miles of

trail for nonmotorized uses. The crew will remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush, restore

trail surfaces, repair drainage structures, install signs, reroute small sections of trail, and repair

steam approaches. This work is necessary to mitigate hazards, prevent resource damage, and

provide for enjoyable user experiences in wilderness and other backcountry settings. The trails

are used for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and packing, mountain biking, and trail

running. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2133)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining North Cle Elum Off-Road Vehicle Trails Grant Awarded: $191,500

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a crew and support volunteers to

maintain 230 miles of multiuse trails in the northern Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The

crews will remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush, repair drainage structures, restore trail

surfaces, and maintain trail signs. As one of the state's most popular off-road vehicle areas,

maintenance is critical to ensuring sustainable use and long-term access. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2131)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining South Cle Elum Off-Road Vehicle Trails Grant Awarded: $188,000

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a crew and support volunteers to

maintain 170 miles of multiuse trails in the southern Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The

crews will remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush, repair drainage structures, restore trail

surfaces, and maintain trail signs. The ranger district also will buy minor equipment such as

hand-tools needed for trail maintenance. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2132)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Cle Elum Front Country Rangers Grant Awarded: $113,700

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to fund four rangers and support two volunteers

to patrol high-use recreation areas, major trailheads, and campgrounds in the

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The rangers and volunteers will focus on educating

visitors about proper sanitation, campsite selection, fee compliance, and environmental

stewardship. A consistent field presence in these areas has proven to reduce environmental

degradation, limit conflicts, and foster greater environmental stewardship. In addition, the

rangers and volunteers will promote the "Respect the River" program, which educates users

about how to minimize damage to streambanks and the importance of protecting bull trout and

other water habitat. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2134)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Off-Road Vehicle Patrols Grant Awarded: $185,500

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to pay for one full-time ranger, two seasonal

rangers, support for volunteers, and two electric mountain bikes for two years to patrol nearly

400 miles of off-highway vehicle trails in Kittitas County. The rangers work with volunteers to

patrol the front country trail system, seven campgrounds, and more than thirty trailheads.

Located just eighty miles west of the state's most densely populated areas, the multiuse trail

system is one of the most heavily used in Washington. The rangers and their partners provide

information and assistance and teach safe motorized travel principles. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2087)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Rangers for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to fund three rangers and support two volunteer

interns to patrol the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The rangers and volunteers will educate visitors

about how to protect the wilderness and trails. The popular Alpine Lakes Wilderness and

adjacent areas host 16 trailheads, 200 miles of trail, multiple high-country routes, more than

60 lakes, and more than 900 campsites. Due to rapid population increases, the area now receives

greater than 80,000 annual visits. The area is used for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding,

horse packing, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, and climbing. Visit RCO’s online Project

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2082)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Renting Portable Bathrooms Grant Awarded: $33,400

The Cle Elum Ranger District will use this grant to rent portable toilets to be placed in high-use

dispersed camping areas from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Dispersed camping takes place

outside of formally constructed campgrounds. These campsites are created by campers, not

planned by the Forest Service, and do not usually include amenities such as toilets. Providing

sanitation in areas with very heavy recreational use will reduce public health hazards and protect

ecologically sensitive steam banks and streams used by species listed under the federal

Endangered Species Act, such as bull trout. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2137)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $150,000

Building a Target Shooting Range in Kittitas County

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to build a target shooting range on Durr

Road in Kittitas County in the Wenas Wildlife Area, less than ten miles outside of Ellensburg. The

range will have ten firing lines each for twenty-five-yard and hundred-yard ranges, backstops,

target stands, concrete shooting pads, signs, and a parking lot. Currently, people target shoot at

several informal areas scattered throughout the north end of the wildlife area that do not have

backstops, resulting in the public shooting into hiking and biking trails. Having an established

site will give the public a safe and designated place to target shoot, lower the risk of wildfires

because the site will have backstops, and protect the surrounding shrub steppe habitat used by

elk, mule deer, and birds. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Firearms and Archery Range Recreation grant

program. (22-2088)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $84,500

Building a Trail in Teanaway Community Forest

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to build fifteen miles of trails for

nonmotorized uses in the Teanaway Community Forest, ten miles northeast of Cle Elum. The

new trail will create connections to towns such as Roslyn, Ronald, and Cle Elum and provide loop

connections to hiking trails in the forest. This project is part of a five phase, multi-year

construction plan. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-1991)

More projects in Kittitas County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Klickitat County

Columbia Land Trust Grant Awarded: $4,328,900

Conserving Klickitat Oaks

The Columbia Land Trust will use this grant to buy 2,666 acres above the Klickitat River near

Klickitat. This unique landscape includes priority oak woodland, savanna, and mixed oak and

conifer forest. The conservation of this land will help protect priority plant communities

associated with Oregon white oak and the birds and other wildlife they support. Priority species

supported include Lewis's woodpecker, western gray squirrel, acorn woodpecker, and fisher. It

also is a critical link in the Pacific Flyway and source of food for neotropical migratory birds in

decline. Additionally, the project site will be available to members of the Confederated Tribes

and Bands of the Yakama Nation for traditional uses. This is the first phase of a multiphase

project to conserve 8,000 acres. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1630)

Columbia Land Trust Grant Awarded: $1,605,000

Preserving Centennial Farm

The Columbia Land Trust will use this grant to conserve 1,983 acres of one of the oldest farm

ownerships in Washington State–Centennial Farm, called such because it has been managed

continuously by the same family for more than 100 years. The farm is five miles west of

Goldendale and contains irrigated pasture for hay, cattle, and chickens. More than 80 percent of

the farm’s soils are classified as prime or Washington Farmland of Statewide Importance. In

addition to its agricultural values, the easement will help protect irrigation practices that provide

much-needed late season water in the Little Klickitat River for mid-Columbia River summer

steelhead trout, which are listed as threatened with extinction under the federal Endangered

Species Act. The conservation easement will remove up to ninety-nine potential development

rights in a rapidly developing corner of the state to ensure that the property remains viable for

farming forever. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1681)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington State Conservation Commission Grant Awarded: $3,492,195

Conserving Davenport Cattle

The State Conservation Commission will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

permanently protect 5,867 acres of Davenport Cattle, a multi-generational, family-owned farm

and ranch established in 1876 in Klickitat County. The farm produces cattle, hay, and grain. The

easement will extinguish 958 development rights. The farm is one of the largest and oldest

farms in Klickitat County and likely in Washington State. The proposed project consists of

twenty-seven separate parcels under two different family ownerships that support different

aspects of the overall operation. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1541)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $870,024

Protecting Frogs in the Trout Lake Natural Area Preserve

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy and manage 126 acres of private

land within the Trout Lake Natural Area Preserve’s approved boundary. The preserve contains

high-quality freshwater wetlands and supports a large population of the Oregon spotted frog,

which is a state endangered species and a species listed as threatened under the federal

Endangered Species Act. The preserve also is a nesting and foraging area for the greater sandhill

crane, a state endangered species. In addition, several rare plants are found in the seasonally

wet meadows and adjacent oak woodlands. This grant would protect permanently all the

remaining privately-owned Oregon spotted frog breeding habitat in the Trout Lake watershed

to protect the species from future habitat loss and ensure the ability of biologists to continue

monitoring breeding populations. The preserve provides exceptional opportunities for scientific

research and environmental education for school groups and the public. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1294)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,323,060

Buying Land for the Klickitat State Park Trail

State Parks will use this grant to buy land in or next to the Klickitat State Park Trail, which runs

thirty-one miles from Lyle to Warwick. This funding allows State Parks to buy smaller, lower-cost

land when opportunities arise. In the past, these small properties next to the trail were offered to

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

State Parks but the agency was unable to buy them because of the timing of the grant program.

Combining the purchases will help the agency buy smaller properties that might not score well

as individual, competitive grants but that are essential for preserving the trail corridor. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1597)

Projects in Lewis County

Washington Farmland Trust Grant Awarded: $271,750

Conserving Spencer Farm Near Chehalis

Washington Farmland Trust will use grant to buy a conservation easement

on about 130 acres

of prime farmland near Chehalis. The Spencer Farm is surrounded on three sides by the

Newaukum River, and its closeness to Napavine makes it attractive for rural development. The

easement will extinguish twelve development rights, permit the current landowner to continue

farming his family's farm, and conserve agricultural land along the river. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1649)

More projects in Lewis County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Lincoln County

Projects in Lincoln County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of this

document.

Projects in Mason County

Great Peninsula Conservancy Grant Awarded: $1,113,600

Conserving the Tahuya River

The Great Peninsula Conservancy will use this grant to buy the lower four miles of the Tahuya

River in Mason County. The Tahuya is the largest river flowing into the east side of Hood Canal

and the lower four miles are privately owned, mostly in unsubdivided large parcels. They are

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

important as the watershed's only spawning and rearing habitat for Hood Canal summer chum

and Chinook salmon, both of which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The

project represents a rare opportunity to conserve the entire lower part of a large, undeveloped

river system in Puget Sound. The conservancy will buy 145 acres and conservation easements

on another 27 acres, covering 172 acres and 1.5 miles of riverfront and tributaries. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1369)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $675,209

Expanding the Skookum Inlet Natural Areas to Conserve Rare Salt Marshes

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy eleven acres in the Skookum

Inlet Natural Area Preserve to protect rare salt marshes in Little Skookum Inlet, six miles from

Shelton in Mason County. The preserve protects two salt marsh types along with their associated

plant communities, which are important, high-quality examples of wetlands in southern Puget

Sound. The site also protects tide flats, second-growth forest buffer, chum and coho salmon,

and resident cutthroat trout. Winter steelhead, which is a species listed as threatened with

extinction under the federal Endangered Species Act, is found in Skookum Creek, the major

tributary to the inlet. The preserve provides opportunities for environmental education and

research. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1292)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $20,495

Maintaining Hood Canal Area Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain trails for nonmotorized

recreation in the Tahuya, Green Mountain, and Hood Canal State Forests, the Stavis Natural

Resources Conservation Area, and other dispersed properties in Kitsap and Mason Counties. The

grant will fund part of the salaries of three staff, support volunteers and events, and fund trail

and facility maintenance. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2166)

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $167,425

Maintaining Tahuya and Green Mountain Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for a crew and volunteer support

to maintain 200 miles of trails, 4 campgrounds, 7 trailheads, and day-use areas in the Tahuya

and Green Mountain State Forests. Crews will cut overgrown brush, maintain drainage

structures, harden trail surfaces, move small sections of trail, maintain bridges, install signs, and

clean restrooms, campsites, parking areas, and signs. The Tahuya and Green Mountain State

Forest off-road trails are open year-round, providing many opportunities for off-roading in the

winter when most other off-road trails and facilities are closed. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2019)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $165,146

Maintaining the 4x4 Trails in the Tahuya State Forest

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain Tahuya State Forest’s four-

by-four trails and facilities, which include fifteen miles of trail, one campground, two trailheads,

and four restrooms. Crews will cut overgrown brush, inspect and maintain bridges and drainage

structures, lay gravel to harden trail surfaces and prevent erosion into nearby streams and

wetlands, clean and remove litter, and repair signs and fences. The Tahuya four-by-four trail

system is a heavily used and beloved year-round four-by-four destination, providing high-

quality off-road experiences in the winter when other trails are closed. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2018)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $524,558

Protecting a Forested Bog by Expanding Schumacher Creek Natural Area Preserve

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy 2.6 acres of forested wetland

buffer for inclusion in the Schumacher Creek Natural Area Preserve in Mason County. The land is

next to a protected wetland and will protect the wetland’s water quality from stormwater runoff

and wastewater leaching. The preserve protects a rare example of Puget lowland wetland and

forested bog, along with the southern headwaters of fish-bearing Schumacher Creek. In

addition, the preserve conserves three rare plant communities. One of the those–Sitka

alder/skunk cabbage-water parsley community–is only found in the Puget lowlands and is

critically imperiled globally. The second community, the shore pine/bog Labrador tea/Sphagnum

community, is ranked as globally vulnerable. The third community is the red

alder/salmonberry/slough sedge/skunk cabbage community. Visit RCO’s online Project

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1376)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $3,595,349

Protecting a Salt Marsh and Salmon Runs in the Kennedy Creek Natural Area

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy 173 acres in the 1,460-acre

Kennedy Creek Natural Area, in Mason and Thurston Counties. Buying the land will help

permanently protect one of the few remaining high-quality salt marshes and one of the most

abundant fall chum salmon runs in southern Puget Sound, with average of 30,000 fish. Kennedy

Creek also supports coho salmon and coastal and resident cutthroat trout and winter trout. After

spawning, the salmon carcasses provide important nutrients and supplement the diets of

120 different wildlife species, including northern river otter, bobcat, and red-tailed hawk. The

mudflats in the natural area provide critical feeding habitat for more than 150 species of birds.

In a single day, 10,000 migratory shorebirds have been counted in the Kennedy estuary and

2,000-5,000 dunlin winter there each year–the largest concentration in central and southern

Puget Sound. Each November, more than 5,000 people, including 3,500 students, visit the

Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail, which is in the Natural Area and between the land to be purchased.

The trail offers the best salmon education option for school children in southern Puget Sound.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1290)

More projects in Mason County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Okanogan County

Mountain Trails Grooming Association Grant Awarded: $122,968

Grooming Methow Valley Snowmobile Trails

The Mountain Trails Grooming Association will use this grant to maintain and groom

snowmobile trails in the Methow Valley. The association will cut overgrown brush, install signs,

and groom more than 177 miles of mountain trails. The Methow Valley is a destination for

thousands of outdoor winter enthusiasts and economic analysis show visitors spend more than

$18 million annually on trail-related recreation in the area. These trails provide access by

snowmobile trails for backcountry and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, walking, and

snowmobiling. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of

this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2176)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Okanogan Land Trust Grant Awarded: $648,375

Conserving the Similkameen-Wahl Ranch

The Okanogan Land Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

to protect

464 acres of agricultural land along the Similkameen River, about 13 miles north of Loomis in

Okanogan County. The Similkameen-Wahl Ranch includes significant acreage of both Prime

Farmland Soils and Farmland of Statewide Importance. Farmed for more than one hundred

years, the land is owned by a multi-generation ranching family. The easement would enable the

owners to solidify their ranching operation and pass it to the next generation, free from

subdivision and development pressures. The land is next to the Similkameen-Chopaka Wildlife

Unit, which is owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and near other lands

protected by government, tribe, and nonprofits. It provides a substantial corridor of protection

along the Similkameen River. In addition, the seasonal grazing pastures and irrigated meadows

provide habitat for elk, moose, bear, deer, and a wide variety of bird species. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1617)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Building North Summit Trails Grant Awarded: $199,974

The Methow Valley Ranger District will use this grant to build forty-nine miles of trail for bikers,

equestrians, Nordic skiers, hikers, hunters, and campers. The project will connect existing trails in

the Lightning and Beaver Creek areas to a recreational hub centered around Bear Mountain,

Little Buck Mountain, and the Loup Loup Ski area. The project also connects the new North

Summit Horse camp to improve the popular equestrian resources in the region. The work will

improve the summer and winter visitor recreation experience through development of a

connected and sustainable trail network and will provide summer access to recreational

opportunities in the Loup Loup pass area. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2042)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Methow Valley Recreation Areas Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Methow Valley Ranger District will use this grant to maintain twenty-five campgrounds,

thirty trailheads, two picnic areas, and the Washington Pass Scenic Overlook. Crews will clean

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

toilets and campsites, control noxious weeds and remove dangerous trees, maintain water

systems, mow, provide visitor information, collect fees, provide security patrols, collect garbage,

and repair picnic tables, fire grates, and bulletin boards. The area has long attracted

recreationists to its variety of habitats, from river valleys to mountain passes, to flowery

meadows high on the Pacific Crest. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle

Activities grant program. (22-2129)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Methow Valley Trails for Motorized Uses Grant Awarded: $99,215

The Methow Valley Ranger District will use this grant to pay for three summer employees to

maintain trails primarily for motorized use in the Sawtooth backcountry and the Lightning and

Beaver Creek drainages. The crew will remove fallen trees, repair drainage structures, restore trail

surfaces, and build two bridges in a wetland area. The work will improve recreational

opportunities for motorcyclists, mountain bikers, hikers, and equestrians. An estimated 118,642

motorcycle riders spend more than 1.4 million user days on trail riding, and they come from all

around the state to participate in trail riding in the Methow Valley. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2113)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing a Trail Crew Grant Awarded: $149,997

The Methow Valley Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a full-time trail crew and pack

support to work for two seasons. The crew will remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush,

restore trail surfaces, clean and repair drainage structures, and control erosion on the highest

priority trails in the Pasayten Wilderness, the Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness, and surrounding

backcountry areas. This includes the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, Pacific Northwest

National Scenic Trail, the Rainy Lake accessible trail, and popular hikes in the scenic north

Cascade Mountains. The trails are used for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, and mountain

biking. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2112)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Wilderness and Backcountry Rangers Grant Awarded: $200,000

The Methow Valley Ranger District will use this grant to pay for five seasonal rangers and

support volunteers to provide education and enforcement in high-use recreation areas for two

field seasons. Staff and volunteers educate visitors about how to recreate with little to no

environmental impact and they will enforce regulations. Patrols will focus on popular recreation

areas on the North Cascades Scenic Corridor, Pasayten and Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness

areas, Pacific Crest Trail, and Pacific Northwest Trail. This area receives more than 190,000 visitor

use days annually. Recreationists include hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, climbers,

photographers, wildlife viewers, backcountry skiers, stock users, hunters, and anglers. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from

the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2111)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $454,000

Building Boating Facilities at Spectacle Lake

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to build boating facilities at Spectacle

Lake, about ten miles west of Tonasket in northern Okanogan County. The 365-acre lake

provides boating and water recreation for a large portion of north central Washington and

serves the cities of Loomis, Okanogan, Omak, Oroville, and Tonasket. The department will build

a boat loading ramp, toilet, a second boat launch, and formal parking lot and install signs.

Currently, parking is scattered throughout the site and the launch gets congested. A second,

smaller craft launch will make it easier to get on the water. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Boating Facilities

Program. (22-2244)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $295,000

Buying Habitat Inholdings in North Okanogan County

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to buy nearly fifty-four acres to protect

important wildlife species. The department will buy thirty-seven acres next to the Similkameen-

Chopaka Unit of the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area that is surrounded on all sides by department

land and the last non-department owned 16.5 acres on Eyhott Island, which is in the Driscoll-

Eyhott Island Unit of the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area. Buying the land will allow the department to

protect critical habitat along water bodies; the state imperiled, inter-mountain basins big

sagebrush steppe and ponderosa pine woodland; and savanna ecological systems. These

habitats support a diverse array of birds including wood ducks, hooded mergansers, and

woodpeckers, in addition to Columbia River steelhead trout, Pacific lamprey, kokanee salmon,

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

and freshwater mussels. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1238)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $4,500,000

Conserving Hunter Mountain North

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to buy about 520 acres in Okanogan

County to protect critical shrub-steppe habitat in the lower Methow Valley. Protecting the land

will conserve sagebrush-steppe habitat for mule deer and other species, including the

endangered gray wolf. It also improves the east-west wildlife corridor connecting state and

federal lands for wildlife travel and makes the land easier to manage. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1235)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $325,000

Expanding Camping Sites in the Green Lake Access Area Campground

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to expand the number of camping sites

from four up to twelve in the Green Lake campground and water access area in Okanogan

County. The department will add steel fire rings and curbed and graveled surfaces making

identifying campsites easy for users. In addition, the department will improve parking and access

to the lake. The department will make walking from the campground to the shore less steep,

address erosion, and install a vault toilet and information kiosk. Located less than fifteen

minutes from Omak and Okanogan, the campground is a popular destination for fishing,

swimming, and general water access. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1708)

More projects in Okanogan County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in Pacific County

Pacific County Grant Awarded: $72,000

Renovating Lions Park Field

Pacific County will use this grant to renovate about two acres of school district-owned baseball

fields on Knappton Road in Naselle. Over time, the fields have become uneven with many low

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

areas, making play unsafe. The County will fill the low spots with dirt, smooth and level the

outfields, then replant with grass. The work will provide enhanced, year-round, outdoor

recreation opportunities for nearly 150 underserved youth ages seven to eighteen and

community members in a high poverty county. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities

program. (22-1539)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $3,950,000

Conserving North Willapa Bay Estuaries and Shoreline

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to buy up to 1,500 acres of forest and

wetlands along the northern shore of Willapa Bay, between the mouths of the Willapa and

North Rivers. The purchase will help provide nearly uninterrupted connectivity over a

fragmented ten miles of department-owned shoreline and riverbanks. The land is used by

wildlife designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need such as marbled murrelet, dusky

Canada goose, band-tailed pigeon, and game species such as Roosevelt elk and Columbia

black-tailed deer, and a variety of waterfowl. The land overlaps the mouths of ten, fish-bearing,

freshwater streams used by chum and coho salmon and steelhead trout. Additionally, the land

includes tidally influenced areas of Willapa Bay that are identified as critical habitat for green

sturgeon, which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This is from the

Washington

Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1239)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $633,960

Buying Land for a Trailhead in Willapa Hills State Park Trail

State Parks will use this grant to buy 2.6 acres in South Bend for a trailhead for Willapa Hills

State Park Trail. The land is on Robert Bush Drive East, which is known as State Route 101. The

trailhead will be designed to accommodate single vehicles for visitors coming to recreate on this

multi-use trail. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1605)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $130,000

Completing Restoration of Leadbetter Point Coastal Dunes

State Parks will use this grant to complete restoration of fifty-five acres of native coastal dune

habitat in Leadbetter Point State Park. State Parks will control invasive plants to restore the

native dune topography, processes, plants, and habitat for four species of concern and an

imperiled ecosystem. The dunes are home to the western snowy plover and the streaked horned

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

lark, two species that are listed as threatened with extinction under the federal Endangered

Species Act, and the pink sand verbena and bear's-foot sanicle, both of which are on the state

endangered species list. The work also will benefit the critically imperiled dune ecosystem, the

North Pacific Maritime Coastal Sand Dune and Strand. This work builds on extensive restoration

by State Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of more than 850 acres of herb- and shrub-

dominated dunes at the north end of the Long Beach peninsula. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1589)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $2,663,767

Laying Gravel on the Willapa Hills Trail

State Parks will use this grant to lay gravel on the Willapa Hills Trail, which stretches 56.5 miles

from Chehalis to South Bend. State Parks will lay 17 miles of compacted gravel in two sections of

trail–an 11-mile section from Pluvius to Half Moon Creek Road and a 6-mile section from the

Willapa River Bridge to the Bullard Road in Menlo. State Parks also will add wayfinding,

orientation, and interpretative signs. The trail traverses over century-old trestle bridges and

through river valleys, thick forests, and rich farmland. The trail is used by hikers, bikers, and

equestrians. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1606)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $387,474

Linking Three Waters Trail in Cape Disappointment State Park

State Parks will use this grant to build a short segment of trail to link two separate ends of the

Three Waters Trail in Cape Disappointment State Park, in Ilwaco. The trail link, east of Robert

Gray Drive, will create a half-mile of continuous trail and separate people from vehicles, making

it safer. Designed by American designer and sculptor Maya Lin, the Three Waters Trail links the

park's three waters–the Columbia River at one end, wetlands and lake, and the Pacific Ocean at

the other end–together at their confluence. State Parks also will add interpretative signs that

weave the history of Native American presence with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1607)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $325,000

Developing Access to the Nemah Tidelands

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to build an access area to the Nemah

tidelands, which are about twenty miles south of Raymond on the eastern shore of Willapa Bay,

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

for the public to harvest clams and oysters. The department will pave a sixteen-stall parking lot,

install a vault toilet, pave a trail from the cliff to the beach, and build a platform from which

people with disabilities can harvest shellfish. RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1436)

More projects in Pacific County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Pend Oreille County

Town of Metaline Grant Awarded: $67,500

Building Pickleball Courts at Eagle Field

The Town of Metaline will use this grant to add two pickleball courts at Eagle Field. With

pickleball being the fastest growing sport in the United States and Governor Jay Inslee signing a

bill declaring pickleball the official state sport, Metaline has the space to offer people of all ages

a place to play. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1719)

More projects in Pend Oreille County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the

end of this document.

Projects in Pierce County

Edgewood Grant Awarded: $3,000,000

Developing the Edgewood Missing Link of the Interurban Trail

The City of Edgewood will use this grant to design and develop one mile of the Interurban Trail

in Edgewood. This missing east-west segment will link to the twenty-four-mile northern section

of the Interurban Trail that connects the cities of Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, and

Lynnwood and to the nineteen-mile southern section of the Interurban Trail that connects the

cities of Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Algona, and Pacific. The trail provides non-motorized commuter

options and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1674)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Fife Grant Awarded: $918,328

Building a Splash Pad and Expanding Colburn Park

The City of Fife will use this grant to build a splash pad with up to eighteen spray features and

two restrooms in Colburn Park, which is outside of the Fife Aquatic Center. In addition, the City

will buy land next to the park being sold by the Fife School District. The City will use the land for

a play structure, picnic shelters, and parking in the future. Overall, the City wants to enhance this

area to provide an even safer and more secure outdoor facility offering free recreational

opportunities for residents of Fife and the neighboring areas. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1349)

Fife Grant Awarded: $77,000

Resurfacing Tennis Courts in Dacca Park

The City of Fife will use this grant to resurface three tennis courts, add a backboard, replace

fencing, and add pickleball lines to the resurfaced court in Dacca Park. Significant cracking has

compromised the quality of the tennis courts and weeds are beginning to grow up through the

cracks. The surface also is faded badly and includes low spots where water pools. This can create

a dangerous playing surface for users. The fence posts are buried in the perimeter court surface,

requiring a replacement to occur as part of the resurfacing. The project will include the addition

of a backstop on the south edge of the courts to allow solo play, as well as the addition of

pickleball markings to ensure alternate use of the courts. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities

program. (22-1636)

Gig Harbor Sportsmen's Club Grant Awarded: $7,550

Improving a Five-Stand Target Range

The Gig Harbor Sportsman's Club will use this grant to upgrade its five-stand range. The club

will buy two new target launchers to replace two old and unreliable ones, two new launcher

mobility carts, and a target launch controller. In addition, the club will renovate the range by

moving two target launchers and replacing flooring, siding, and access. These renovations will

make the range operation more reliable and safer and allow the club to serve more shooters.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This

grant is from the Firearms and Archery Range Recreation grant program. (22-2360)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Lakewood Grant Awarded: $350,000

Adding Pickleball Courts to Harry Todd Park

The City of Lakewood will use this grant to convert an aging and underused tennis court in Harry

Todd Park into four pickleball courts. The City also will add parking stalls and a route to the new

pickleball courts for people with disabilities. Harry Todd Park is a seveneen-acre community park

in the south side of the city along American Lake. Military bases, Interstate 5, and the lake create

geographical barriers that isolate this area from the rest of the city. The park, which is the only

park in this part of Lakewood, is critical to the economically disadvantaged and diverse

community members who live there. The park was created in the 1950s and the tennis courts

were original park amenities. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1632)

Lakewood Grant Awarded: $350,000

Building a Bike Racing Track in Wards Lake Park

The City of Lakewood will use this grant to build a BMX (dirt bicycle racing) track at Wards Lake

Park, a twenty-seven-acre park in the northeastern part of the city. The City will build the 0.6-

mile-long, soft-surface, BMX track in an underused and difficult to manage area. The City has

identified the park as an area anticipating population growth and a high-priority for upgrades to

improve level of service, diversity of activities. and quality of park experiences. This part of

Lakewood is deficient in park and recreational sites and amenities and has high proportion of

minority and low-income residents. The City wants to introduce the sport of biking to youth at

an early age and create ways for them to advance their skills, prepare for competitions, and

create a lifelong love for the sport. The closest BMX facility is more than seventeen miles away

and is expected to move. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1743)

Lakewood Grant Awarded: $500,000

Continuing Development of Wards Lake Park

The City of Lakewood will use this grant to continue development of the twenty-seven-acre

Wards Lake Park, which is a natural area park in a very diverse, low-income, and underserved

area of the city. The City will build two, nature-based adventure playgrounds; a restroom; and

trails and pathways to connect and expand access throughout the park. In addition, the City will

separate a soon-to-be-built BMX (dirt bike racing) track from walking trails and sensitive areas

with fencing and other natural materials. The City also will open heavily vegetated areas to

create safe lines of sight while preserving and enhancing the wetland buffers, old-growth forest,

and oak prairie areas there. Finally, the City will expand parking at the main entrance, extend

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

sidewalks, and add a parking area and trailhead in the southern part of the park. The City will

furnish the park with picnic shelters, tables, benches, bike racks, lights, garbage cans, and

wayfinding and interpretive signs. The work is intended to enhance underused and difficult to

manage areas, remove and replace aging infrastructure, and add elements to make the park

more inviting and accessible to all. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1720)

Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma Grant Awarded: $400,000

Designing the Replacement of the Dash Point Pier

Metro Parks will use this grant to conduct engineering, permitting, and schematic design work in

preparation for replacement of the concrete deck of the Dash Point Pier. The pier provides the

public with access to the shoreline and is one of the few deep-water fishing piers available for

public use in the urban environment of the South Sound region. The design work will include

other necessary improvements to the pier and its support infrastructure for long-term

sustainability. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account. (22-1652)

Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma Grant Awarded: $195,000

Expanding the Stewart Heights Skate Park

Metro Parks will use this grant to expand the skate park in Stewart Heights Park, which is in one

of the most ethnically diverse and least-served neighborhoods in Tacoma. This project will add

and diversify features tailored to beginner and experienced skaters. This project is the first skate

park developed in cooperation with the roller skating community. The recent influx of roller

skaters to skate parks is adding new users and increasing diversity at skate parks. This grant will

help complete the second phase of a three-phase project to bring the park in line with

contemporary standards for public skate parks. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities

program. (22-1566)

Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma Grant Awarded: $500,000

Improving First Creek Park

Metro Parks Tacoma will use this grant to develop a fitness and gathering space at First Creek

Community Park in Tacoma's Eastside Neighborhood in Pierce County. The space will provide

trailheads to the Pipeline Trail, which is a regional, paved, non-motorized commuter trail

connecting Tacoma to South Hill, and to Swan Creek Park's hiking and mountain biking trails.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Metro Parks Tacoma will continue partnering with the Trust for Public Land to install fitness

equipment, nature play elements for children, and seating and picnic tables for community

gatherings. Metro Parks Tacoma also will remove invasive weeds that encroach on the Pipeline

Trail, install wayfinding signs and cycling support amenities, and add a pedestrian entry to Swan

Creek Park. The community rarely uses these public spaces due to safety concerns. The project’s

goal is to create an open, inviting, multi-generational community space that expands access to

public spaces and promotes greater physical activity. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1433)

National Park Service Grant Awarded: $200,000

Maintaining Carbon River and Mowich Entrance Trails

Mount Rainier National Park will use this grant to replace seven trail bridges and boardwalks on

the Rainforest Loop Trail, three bridges on West Boundary Trail, and one bridge on the Paul

Peak Trail. The work will reduce the maintenance backlog, resolve major safety issues, protect

natural and cultural resources, and restore a high level of service to the thousands of trail users

in the Carbon River corridor. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2217)

National Park Service Grant Awarded: $75,000

Maintaining Mount Rainier National Park Entrance Trails

Mount Rainier National Park will use this grant to maintain the Rainforest Loop Trail, the Paul

Peak Trail, and 4.5 miles of the West Boundary Trail, which weaves in and out of the national

park and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, connecting the Carbon River and

Mowich Lake Entrances of the park. Crews will clear overgrown vegetation, repair trail surfaces

and drainage structures, and replace components of boardwalks and bridges. The goal is to

return these trails to good condition for the thousands of hikers that visit Mount Rainier each

year. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2216)

Nisqually Indian Tribe Grant Awarded: $2,873,200

Expanding Nisqually Community Forest

The Nisqually Indian Tribe will use this grant to buy 1,042 acres to expand the Nisqually

Community Forest. The land adjoins the existing community forest along Busy Wild Creek, which

is the highest priority for protection in the Nisqually Chinook salmon and steelhead trout

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

recovery plans. Both species are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act,

and a portion of Busy Wild Creek that will be purchased is federally designated as critical habitat

for steelhead. The Nisqually Community Forest Management Plan supports local, family-wage

forestry jobs through a program of sustainable forest management that generates steady annual

production of commercial timber. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Community Forests Program. (22-1535)

Pierce County Grant Awarded: $500,000

Beginning Development of Orangegate Park

Pierce County Parks and Recreation Services will use this grant to begin development of the

150-acre Orangegate Park, which now is a forest with informal trails in the Summit-Waller

community at the intersection of 84th Street East and 46th Avenue East. A half-mile of the

Pipeline Trail, which is a regional, paved, non-motorized commuter trail connecting Tacoma to

South Hill, will cross through the park. The County will build ninety-seven parking spaces, a

universally inclusive nature play area, picnic shelters, a restroom, a five-acre enclosed dog park,

trails, and signs. The County also will add a safe road crossing at 84th Street East with a trail

connection south to the Pipeline Trail. The park will serve a variety of users, including

pedestrians, dog walkers, bicyclists, and equestrians. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife

and Recreation Program. (22-1309)

Pierce County Grant Awarded: $500,000

Developing Half Dollar Park

Pierce County Parks and Recreation Services will use this grant to develop the 3.5-acre Half

Dollar Park, which is partially forested and partially a grass field in the South Hill community. The

park is split by the Pipeline Trail, which is a regional, paved, non-motorized commuter trail

connecting Tacoma to South Hill. The County will build a parking area, a restroom, and a plaza

on the south side of the Pipeline Trail and install benches and bicycle racks. On the north side of

the Pipeline Trail, the County will build a nature play area, picnic and viewing area of Mount

Rainier, a soft-surface bike skills course, and an interpretive loop trail. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1303)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Pierce County Grant Awarded: $1,500,000

Extending the Pipeline Trail

Pierce County Parks and Recreation Services will use this grant to build 1.6 miles of paved

Pipeline Trail, extending it into the county, and to build a trailhead at Orangegate Park. The

160-acre park offers access to trails, a dog park, and other recreational amenities. When fully

built, the Pipeline Trail will offer more than fifteen miles of recreational and commuter trail

connecting communities, both rural and urban, to employment centers, transit networks, parks,

and public lands. The completed trail will link downtown Tacoma to Puyallup's South Hill. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1311)

Puyallup Grant Awarded: $350,000

Improving Clarks Creek North Ball Field

The Puyallup Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to convert the natural surfaces

of the Clarks Creek North ball field to synthetic turf. The conversion will allow the field to be

used year-round for a multitude of sports including baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and

football. The field is shut down in the fall and winter to prevent damage. Converting the field to

synthetic turf will increase its use by more than 50 percent and provide play opportunities for an

additional 2,300 youth. It also will allow the City to offer a fully accessible playing surface for

athletes with disabilities. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1603)

Steilacoom Grant Awarded: $500,000

Restoring Garrison Springs Creek and Estuary

The Town of Steilacoom will use this grant to restore about a quarter-mile of Garrison Springs

Creek and estuarine habitat that was lost to industrial development more than 100 years ago.

The creek flows through several culverts and under a derelict paper mill before running into

Chambers Bay and Puget Sound. Culverts are pipes or other structures that carry water under

roads. The Town will bring the creek back to the surface and reroute it to a more natural

location. Restoring the creek and establishing an off-channel pocket estuary will provide much

needed fish habitat in Puget Sound. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account.

(22-1713)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $400,000

Replacing Pierce County Boating Access Restrooms

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to replace four outdated and dilapidated

outhouses at four different water access sites in Pierce County. This project will upgrade these

more than fifty-year-old structures with log cabin-style restrooms and a paved parking stall next

to each. These toilets will be replaced at Crescent, Harts, Rapjohn, and Tanwax Lakes. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from

the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2181)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $148,188

Maintaining Elbe’s Horse Trail System

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay a maintenance manager to plan

and conduct maintenance on the Nicholson Horse Trail system. That trail system has forty miles

of equestrian and hiking trails, seven day-use areas, three trailheads, and one campground in

the Elbe Hills State Forest. Work will include removing fallen trees, clearing overgrown brush,

restoring trail surfaces, maintaining drainage structures, replacing rotten bridge decking,

maintaining and replacing signs, painting structures, and maintaining restrooms and campsites.

The Nicholson Horse Trail system provides multiple, interconnected loop trails with attached

equestrian service facilities, which provide users with optional day and overnight recreational

opportunities. The department will use this grant to maintain this crucial, rare asset for the

equestrian and hiking community. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2211)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $147,726

Maintaining Elbe Off-Road Vehicle Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for employees to maintain

thirteen miles of off-road vehicle trails, one trailhead, and one campground in the 22,140-acre

Elbe Hills State Forest in southeastern Pierce County. The crew will remove fallen trees, clear

overgrown brush, maintain and repair drainage structures, restore and harden trail surfaces, and

maintain signs, buildings, restrooms, and campsites. The Elbe Hills trail system is one of very few

public, four-by-four recreation opportunities open year-round in western Washington. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2210)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $149,039

Providing Education and Enforcement in Elbe Hills and Tahoma State Forests

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to fund one warden, who will provide

public information, education, and enforcement year-round in the 22,140-acre Elbe Hills and

32,600-acre Tahoma State Forests. Funding also will be used to print, buy, and distribute

informational materials. These efforts will focus on off-road vehicle users, equestrians, hikers,

hunters, campers, target shooters, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers. The warden will

educate and enforce trail use, camping, campfire, and target shooting rules as well as address

issues around Discover Pass use, vandalism, hunting, resource gathering, dumping, and Sno Park

use. Both state forests have seen increased use, vandalism, dumping, illegal travel, and user

conflict in the past four years. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2209)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $2,999,000

Building Trails and an Overlook in Nisqually State Park

State Parks will use this grant to build trails and an overlook at Nisqually State Park in Eatonville.

State Parks will pave a 1.7-mile trail and lay rock for an adjacent equestrian trail that leads to a

cantilevered platform with a grated floor. The platform will give visitors the feel of walking over

the edge of the slope and floating in air. From there, visitors will be able to see the Mashel River

Valley and Mount Rainier. State Parks also will add benches and interpretive signs. This is the

third phase of development for this 1,200-acre park at the confluence of the Nisqually River,

Mashel River, and Ohop Creek. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1530)

More projects in Pierce County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in San Juan County

San Juan County Grant Awarded: $545,200

Replacing the Hunter Bay Float and Gangway

The San Juan County Public Works Department will use this grant to replace a storm-damaged

float and gangway at the Hunter Bay Marine Facility on Lopez Island. The department will install

a steel pier, gangway, and float structure further to the north and in deeper water to eliminate

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

grounding at extreme low tides. The new float will double tie-up space for boaters. The new

marine facility will have a thirty-two-foot-long pier with an eighty-foot-long gangway

connecting to a fullwidth, fiberglass grate on two, forty-foot-long pontoon floats. The current

dock will be removed after construction of the new facility is complete. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Boating

Facilities Program. (22-1907)

San Juan County Land Bank Grant Awarded: $1,000,000

Conserving Watmough Bay

The San Juan County Land Bank will use this grant to buy nearly one-third mile of low to mid-

bank, undeveloped shoreline between Watmough Bay and Rosario Strait. Along with adjacent

conservation holdings, this purchase would protect a total of nearly two miles of shoreline. The

site has a long history of use by Coast Salish peoples, includes two pocket beaches and

tidelands, is used by Chinook salmon and the fish they eat, and has extensive eelgrass beds and

bull kelp. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account. (22-1672)

Washington State Parks Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $2,505,000

Replacing Moorage in Fossil Bay at Sucia Island

State Parks will use this grant to replace the moorage facility in Fossil Bay at Sucia Island State

Park. Located in the San Juan Islands, a world class boating destination and one of the premier

recreational resources in the state, the Sucia Island Moorage Facilities are the most heavily used

in the region and well past their useful life. Built with creosote timber in the 1960s, the facilities

will be removed and replaced with landing floats, gangway, and a pier with new piles. Sucia

Island is positioned to serve as the hub in the San Juan's, accommodating thousands of boats a

year from Washington and Canada. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2417)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $2,410,000

Replacing Prevost Harbor Moorage at Stuart Island

State Parks will use this grant to replace the moorage facility in Prevost Harbor at Stuart Island

State Park. Located in the San Juan Islands, a world class boating destination and one of the

premier recreational resources in the state, the Stuart Island Moorage Facilities are one of the

most heavily used in the region and well past their useful life. Built with creosote timber in the

1960s, the facilities will be removed and replaced with landing floats, gangway, and a pier with

new piles. Stuart Island is the furthest out in the San Juan's, accommodating thousands of boats

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

a year from Washington and Canada. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2416)

More projects in San Juan County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in Skagit County

Burlington Grant Awarded: $500,000

Continuing Development of Rotary Park’s Inclusive Playground

The City of Burlington will use this grant to continue development of Rotary Park as the city’s

and Skagit County’s first inclusive playground for people with disabilities. The City will build a

restroom, innovative playground equipment, flooring that doesn't limit mobility devices, and

thoughtful sensory integration. With an above average rate of disability, Burlington and the

county have an extensive need for engaging people with disabilities. Rotary Park is centrally

located for many residents and walking distance from often-used Skagit River Park. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1315)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining Mount Baker-Snoqualmie Trail Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Mount Baker Ranger District will use this grant to pay a trail crew and support volunteers to

maintain one hundred miles of trail for nonmotorized uses in the Mount Baker Wilderness Area,

the Mount Baker National Recreation Area, and the heavily used forests surrounding these

areas. These trails range in elevation from 1,000 feet to almost 7,000 feet, which creates a variety

of challenges. Low elevation trails open early, have high use, and high precipitation. Higher

elevation trails open late due to snow and have a very short maintenance season. Extremely high

use on these sensitive subalpine trails creates ongoing issues for trail surfaces and drainage that

need to be addressed annually. The crews will remove fallen trees, clear overgrown brush,

restoring trail surfaces, maintain drainage structures, and repair boardwalks, bridges, and

retaining walls. The trails are used for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, and climbing

access. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2108)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $70,000

Maintaining the Blanchard Forest Block

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for staff and support volunteers

to maintain the Samish Overlook day-use area and Lily and Lizard Lake campgrounds in the

Blanchard Forest Block. Crews will repair signs, remove litter, repair and upgrade campsites,

clean restrooms, and maintain two free-flight launch areas. By providing timely routine and

preventative maintenance, the department can protect natural resources, extend the useful life

of recreation facilities, and provide safe and enjoyable recreation opportunities. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project.

This grant is from

the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2014)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $150,000

Maintaining Trails in Blanchard and Harry Osborne Forests

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain trails and trailheads for

nonmotorized uses in Blanchard State Forest and the Harry Osborne Forest. Crews will recontour

and harden trails, maintain drainage structures, inspect and maintain bridges, remove litter, and

maintain parking areas, restrooms, and signs. By providing timely, routine, and preventative

maintenance, this project allows the department to protect natural resources, increase the life

expectancy of facilities, and provide safe recreation opportunities. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2015)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $192,000

Maintaining Walker Valley Off Road Vehicle Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for a maintenance steward to

maintain forty miles of off-road vehicle trails and trailheads in the Walker Valley ORV Trails Area,

east of Mount Vernon. Work will include cutting overgrown brush, laying gravel to harden trail

surfaces, maintaining bridges and drainage structures, removing litter, cleaning and maintaining

toilets and signs, and grading parking areas and roads. The maintenance steward also will

identify and direct work projects for Washington Conservation Corps and volunteers. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from

the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2115)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $160,000

Restoring the Hope Island Natural Area Preserve

State Parks will use this grant to restore imperiled grassland balds and rare and high-quality

forests on Hope Island Natural Area Preserve, in Skagit County. State Parks will remove invasive

annual grasses and encroaching trees and then seed and plant native forbs and grasses. This

project builds on past restoration efforts, with a goal of increasing the cover and resilience of

native plant communities to a point where only spot treatments of invasives will be needed. The

grassland balds support more than fifty native plant species, including Washington's largest

population of Indian Valley brodiaea, a species thought to extirpated from the state until re-

discovered in 2021. The majority of Hope Island is dominated by two Douglas-fir-western

hemlock forests and a rare Pacific madrone forest, in a mosaic of old-growth and maturing

second-growth trees arising from past fires and wind events. These forests have been

recognized as some of the best examples of lowland, old-growth forest in the Puget Trough

ecoregion. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this

project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1585)

More projects in Skagit County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Skamania County

Columbia Land Trust Grant Awarded: $1,500,000

Conserving the Oldest Private Forest on the West Fork Washougal River

The Columbia Land Trust will use this grant to buy 307 acres in Skamania County to preserve

one of the oldest and largest remaining private forests in the Washougal River watershed. The

purchase also will conserve more than three miles of shoreline habitat on the West Fork

Washougal River and perennial tributary Jackson Creek for salmon species listed under the

federal Endangered Species Act. The land has steeply sloped forests of mature Douglas-fir,

cedar, and hemlock. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1623)

Skamania County Grant Awarded: $150,000

Replacing Wind River Dock

Skamania County will use this grant to replace the boat docks at the Wind River Boat Launch in

Skamania County. The existing boat docks lack buoyancy, are in disrepair, and need to be

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

replaced. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2334)

U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Grant Awarded: $149,700

Caring for Gifford Pinchot National Forest Trails

The Cowlitz Valley Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a three-person crew to maintain

300 miles of wilderness trails and trails for nonmotorized uses. The crew will focus on high-

priority needs, particularly in the Goat Rocks and Mount Adams Wildernesses, the Pacific Crest

National Scenic Trail, trails near campgrounds and other facilities, and the Mount Saint Helens

National Volcanic Monument. Work will include removing fallen trees, clearing overgrown brush,

restoring trail surfaces, maintaining drainage structures, and repairing other structures. The

Gifford Pinchot is home to some of the most scenic trails, with stunning views of Mount Adams,

Mount Saint Helens, and Mount Rainier. The work will balance resource protection with hiking,

biking, and equestrian opportunities. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle

Activities grant program. (22-2272)

U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Grant Awarded: $195,700

Maintaining Gifford Pinchot National Forest Trails for Motorized Uses

The Cowlitz Valley Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a crew to maintain 230 miles of

trail in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The crew will remove fallen trees, clear overgrown

brush, repair drainage and other structures, and restore trail surfaces. The Gifford Pinchot is

home to some of the most expert-level riding trails in southwest Washington. The crew will

focus on high-priority needs, particularly in the Dark Divide, High Lakes, and Blue Lake Areas.

The work will enhance protection of resources while still providing motorcycle and all-terrain

vehicle riding opportunities. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2271)

More projects in Skamania County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Snohomish County

Forterra Northwest Grant Awarded: $297,425

Conserving Woods Lake Habitat

Forterra, in partnership with the Tulalip Tribes, will use this grant to buy forty acres, including

part of Woods Lake, near Monroe. Woods Lake is a pristine, twenty-one-acre freshwater lake

surrounded by a forested wetland featuring bog-related species. Freshwater bogs are

considered imperiled by the Washington Natural Heritage Program and many have been

eliminated by development. The land supports many plants unique to freshwater bogs including

healthy, dense stands of bog labrador tea, western bog laurel, bog cranberry, and round-leaf

sundew. The land is next to state forestlands and its purchase would protect nearly all the lake’s

shoreline. The Tulalip Tribes will own the land and use it for cultural access and traditional uses

and will allow some limited public and educational access. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project. This is from the

Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1600)

Lake Stevens Grant Awarded: $850,000

Developing a Sports Field and Pickleball Courts in Frontier Heights Park

The City of Lake Stevens will use two grants to develop a multiuse, synthetic turf, athletic field;

four pickleball courts; and parking in Frontier Heights Park. The park is in an underserved area

next to an urban growth center. This project will provide a year-round field for various sports.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. The

grants are from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and the Youth Athletic

Facilities program. (22-1746)

Lynnwood Grant Awarded: $659,729

Expanding Sprague's Pond Park

The Lynnwood Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department will use this grant to buy

1.7 acres on the eastern shore of Sprague's Pond for fishing and wildlife viewing. The land is on

one of only two water bodies in the city limits and contains 461 feet of shoreline, which is rare in

this urban area. Just under half of the site is open water. The goal is to transform the adjacent

Sprague's Pond Mini-Park into a regional destination for trout and largemouth bass fishing. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1266)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Lynnwood Grant Awarded: $2,000,000

Rehabilitating Scriber Creek Trail

The Lynnwood Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department will use this grant to renovate

0.3 mile of the Scriber Creek Trail that connects the City Center Neighborhood, the future City

Center Light Rail Station, and south Lynnwood. The existing trail is narrow and prone to

flooding, making it unsuitable for biking and year-round use. The City will widen the trail to up

to sixteen feet wide and connect it to four parks along Scriber Creek. The trail is used for

walking, cycling, and nature viewing. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information

and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1265)

Lynnwood Grant Awarded: $500,000

Building a Boardwalk Trail in Scriber Lake Park

The City of Lynnwood Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department will use this grant to build

an accessible boardwalk and two wildlife viewpoints on the shore of Scriber Lake in Scriber Lake

Park. The City will build about a quarter-mile of elevated boardwalk and lake viewpoints,

improve connections to a floating dock, update two parking stalls and the route from the

parking lot to the boardwalk to be accessible to people with disabilities, and restore the lake’s

natural hydrology and habitat. With twenty-four acres of wetlands, a lake, streams, trails, forest,

and hillsides, Scriber Lake Park provides a haven for wildlife and a respite from the city for

people. The city's only public lake supports a variety of waterfowl, osprey, largemouth bass,

perch, river otter, and beaver. The goal of the project is to provide year-round access to the

natural environment for residents of the city's lowest income neighborhood. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1618)

Mountlake Terrace Grant Awarded: $241,000

Replacing Field Lights at Evergreen Playfield

The City of Mountlake Terrace will use this grant to replace the lights on Field 5 in the Evergreen

Playfield Complex. The City will install three metal poles with LED (light-emitting diode) lights

and retrofit four other poles with LED lighting. The work will allow the field to be used more

hours and will improve safety for youth baseball, softball, and soccer players. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1385)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Port of Edmonds Grant Awarded: $500,000

Developing North Portwalk

The Port of Edmonds will use this grant to renovate a 900-foot-long section of deteriorated

waterfront boardwalk that runs between the Port of Edmonds Administration Building and

Olympic Beach. The replacement boardwalk will be elevated to create better separate

pedestrians from the fire lane and to improve pedestrian accessibility. The port also will install

restrooms, landscaping, lighting, wayfinding signs, and parking. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Aquatic

Lands Enhancement Account. (22-1731)

Snohomish County Grant Awarded: $302,500

Lighting a Willis Tucker Park Ball Field

Snohomish County Parks, Recreation and Tourism will use this grant to add lights to a ball field

in Willis Tucker Park, near the City of Mill Creek. The ball field is a natural grass field that is used

only during the day. Lights will expand field use by allowing games and practices to start earlier

in the spring, go later in the day, and go into the fall for both Little League and softball. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1426)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Caring for the Mountain Loop Scenic Byway Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Darrington Ranger District will use this grant to pay for up to four seasonal employees for

two years to maintain twenty-one trailheads, multiple day-use areas, and hundreds of dispersed

campsites along the Mountain Loop Scenic Byway. The byway annually receives more than

230,000 outdoor enthusiasts visiting the South Fork Stillaguamish and Sauk River valleys. The

combination of hard and easy hikes, high mountain lakes, stunning vistas, and unique natural

features has long made this a favorite with the Seattle and Everett communities. Visitors enjoy

the byway for many activities including hiking, backpacking, picnicking, camping, hunting,

fishing, rock climbing, scenic driving, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. The Mountain

Loop Byway stands apart in the region with areas of unpaved mountainside camping and some

of the most stunning and remote backcountry experiences one can offer close to cities. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project.

This grant

is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-1972)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maintaining the Darrington Front Country Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Darrington Ranger District will use this grant to hire four seasonal trail crew members for

two years to work with volunteers and youth groups to maintain 140 miles of hiking trails in the

Stillaguamish and Sauk River watersheds. An hour east of Everett, the area provides a spectrum

of year-round day hiking opportunities from riverwalks to scenic vistas. An estimated 215,000

visitors annually, combined with up to 130 inches of precipitation and sporadic maintenance,

has resulted in many of these trails needing major repairs and maintenance. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-1971)

U.S. Forest Service, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Providing a Wilderness Trail Crew Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Darrington Ranger District will use this grant to support crews to maintain one hundred

miles of wilderness trails in the Glacier Peak and Henry M. Jackson Wildernesses, which include

the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. These trails access some of the most remote areas in the

north Cascade Mountains and require multiweek backcountry campouts to complete the work.

In some areas, floods, fires, and landslides have closed roads and trails for years, adding to a

backlog of trail maintenance. The work includes blasting bedrock, root wads, large rocks, and

trees; regrading large stretches that have slumped due to snow or brush; rebuilding stream

fords; and repairing bridges. This work requires heavy tools and stock support, but trail

conditions are too dangerous for a pack string. The work will restore trails to allow pack animals

passage. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-1996)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $500,000

Building the Hamilton Landing Boat Launch

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to develop a launch for motorized boats

on the two-acre Hamilton Landing property near the confluence of the Stillaguamish River with

Port Susan and Skagit Bay, in Stanwood. The department will build a concrete plank boat ramp,

a parking area, and restroom. The land is undeveloped except for a primitive boat launch that is

used rarely due to disrepair and a relict smokestack. The site will be used by boaters for

waterfowl hunting and by people for viewing wildlife on the more than 7,000 acres of

department-owned land in the Stillaguamish and Skagit Bay estuaries, which have no usable

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2023-2025

boat launch in the area. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Boating Facilities Program. (22-2075)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $1,044,000

Building a Trailhead in Reiter Foothills State Forest

The Department of Natural Resources will use two grants to build a trailhead in Reiter Foothills

State Forest, located between the towns of Gold Bar and Index. The new trailhead will provide

access to more than thirty-three miles of off-road vehicle, hiking, equestrian, and mountain

biking trails. The trailhead will include seventy parking stalls, two informational kiosks, and

restrooms. Reiter Foothills Forest was closed in 2009 due to overuse that resulted in

environmental damage and public safety issues. Since then, the forest was reopened and the

department built a safe and sustainable trail system but the parking was not adequate. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. The grants

are from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program and the Washington

Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-2064 and 22-1549)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $191,208

Maintaining Reiter Foothills Forest Trails and Facilities

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain more than thirty-three

miles of trail, two vista sites, two trailheads, and two restrooms in Reiter Foothills Forest. Crews

will cut overgrown brush and fallen branches and trees, maintain drainage structures, restore

trail surfaces, install signs, and clean restrooms and parking areas. The department also will use

this grant to buy equipment, tools, and materials. Mountain bikers, equestrians, trail runners,

and rock climbers use these trails. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2251)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $191,208

Patrolling Snohomish County Recreation Areas

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to fund one recreation warden to patrol

some of the most popular department-owed areas in Snohomish County: Reiter Foothills Forest,

Forest Glade, Morning Star Natural Resources Conservation Area, and Sultan Basin. The warden

will focus on identifying potential health, safety, and resource damage concerns while educating

visitors about appropriate use and environmental stewardship principles. Combined, these areas

provide several hundred miles of road, about seventy-five miles of trail, seven campgrounds,

multiple dispersed campsites, and trailheads on more than 50,000 acres. These areas support a

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wide diversity of outdoor opportunities, including off-road vehicle riding, hiking, backpacking,

camping, horseback riding, fishing, foraging, hunting, motorcycling, mountain biking,

sightseeing, and snow activities. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2184)

More projects in Snohomish County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the

end of this document.

Projects in Spokane County

Spokane Grant Awarded: $731,744

Connecting Rimrock to Riverside

The Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf Department will use this grant to buy 118 acres

to expand and connect Palisades Park to Riverside State Park, preserving an extensive wildlife

corridor. The land contains forest, shrub-steppe, wetland, and cliff habitat and is a corridor for

moose, elk, and white-tailed deer. In addition, the purchase will allow the County to expand trail

opportunities, such as hiking and mountain biking, just one-third mile from Spokane. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1464)

Spokane Grant Awarded: $330,000

Rehabilitating a Sport Court in Underhill Park

The Spokane Parks and Recreation Division, in partnership with the nonprofit Spokane Hoopfest

Association, will use this grant to redevelop a dilapidated sports court in Underhill Park in the

East Central Neighborhood of Spokane. The City will replace and lengthen two basketball courts,

add two additional hoops, and supply new basketball hoops, backboards, and nets. The City also

will convert an unused tennis court into four pickleball courts with heavy-duty, movable nets to

accommodate growing demand for the sport. The City will replace the existing court fencing

and build a concrete path from the courts to the corner of the park, making access to the courts

accessible to people with disabilities. Sport court lights will be replaced with more energy-

efficient lights. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1537)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Spokane County Grant Awarded: $157,400

Providing Education and Enforcement in Spokane County

The Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf Department will use this grant to pay for two

full-time seasonal park aids. Along with other staff, the park aids will provide service to more

than 11,000 acres, including urban, suburban, and rural wilderness park settings throughout the

county. These sites support more than 350 miles of trails and include two lakes, river access

points, a campground, and two off-road vehicle parks with an expected 1.3 million visitations

annually. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2187)

Spokane County Grant Awarded: $336,320

Renovating Airway Heights ORV Park

Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf Department will use this grant to improve the access

road and main entrance at the Airway Heights ORV Park. The thirtyyearold road is deteriorating

and too narrow, especially for vehicles towing trailers. The department will realign and build

about one-third mile of an access road. The new road will be straight, which will improve safety

and traffic flow at the entrance and accommodate future expansion of much-needed campsites

in the southern portion of the park. The department also will remove a security gate at the

park’s entrance and an unused gate house, which will allow the entry gate to be moved,

improving access during special events. The department will replace the dilapidated entrance

sign and improve landscaping to create an inviting park entrance. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (222081)

Spokane Valley Grant Awarded: $500,000

Continuing Development of Greenacres Community Park

The City of Spokane Valley will use this grant to continue development of Greenacres

Community Park by adding a tennis court, six pickleball courts, two basketball courts, a

backstop, a community garden, shade structures, and trees. The City also will expand the

playground and splash pad, add seventeen parking spaces, pave an existing perimeter path, and

renovate the disc golf course to create a three-hole introductory course with practice green.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1693)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Spokane Valley HUB Grant Awarded: $350,000

Providing a Synthetic Turf Field in the HUB

Spokane Valley HUB will use this grant to design, do earthwork, and buy synthetic turf for a

multiuse field at its Liberty Lake facility. There are only two accessible synthetic turf fields for

public use in Spokane County, which has more than 500,000 residents. The multiuse field will

support soccer, lacrosse, football, rugby, ultimate Frisbee, T-ball, and general exercise. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1633)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $320,000

Improving Riverside State Park’s Off-Road Vehicle Area

State Parks will use this grant to plan a parking area for off-road vehicle users in Riverside State

Park. A paved parking area for off-road vehicles is on the east side of Inland Road and when it

gets full, visitors park among trees on the west side of the road. As a result, visitors are out of

their vehicles among the fast-moving off-road vehicles, creating safety concerns. In addition,

visitors are quite a distance from restrooms and trash cans, resulting in trash and waste left

behind. In addition to the new fenced-in parking lot west of Inland Road, State Parks will install a

toilet and trash cans to mitigate sanitation challenges. The off-road vehicle area saw more than

85,000 visitors in 2021. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2270)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $183,160

Providing a Riverside State Park Patrol

State Parks will use this grant to pay for one full-time ranger to patrol Riverside State Park,

Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail, and their trailheads for two years. These areas are

open year-round and see more than 3 million visits a year. The ranger will promote public safety,

focusing on trailheads and areas near the city interface, which have more crime. The ranger will

educate users about park rules and regulations, trail etiquette, wildlife, and environmental

stewardship, and will patrol park events, of which there are about one hundred annually. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2141)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $156,768

Providing Staff at Riverside State Park’s Off-Road Vehicle Area

State Parks will use this grant to pay for employees to maintain facilities, protect natural

resources, complete special maintenance projects, and provide customer service at Riverside

State Park's off-road vehicle area for two years. Riverside's off-road vehicle area is a 600-acre,

fenced area open year-round to all types of off-road vehicle use and receives 86,556 vehicles a

year. The employees would clean restrooms, restock educational materials and fee envelopes,

maintain fences and signs, pick up garbage, shovel and plow snow, mow, control noxious weeds,

and maintain equipment and facilities. In addition, they would complete special maintenance

projects and work with volunteers. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-2173)

More projects in Spokane County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in Stevens County

U.S. Forest Service, Colville National Forest Grant Awarded: $150,000

Caring for the Colville National Forest Facilities

The Colville National Forest will use this grant to hire seasonal employees to maintain

42 campgrounds, 92 developed recreation sites and trailheads, and 830 dispersed campsites

scattered across the forest. The crews will remove trash, clean toilets, identify and remove

dangerous trees, treat noxious weeds, repair water systems, and fix or replace picnic tables, fire

rings, signs, and information boards. The Colville National Forest lies just fifty miles from

Spokane, the second largest city in Washington, and contains parts of the Pacific Northwest

National Scenic Trail and the International Selkirk Loop, which attract many visitors. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project.

This grant is from

the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2348)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $1,219,995

Expanding the Onion Ridge Natural Area to Conserve Important Landscapes

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to buy 300 acres to protect three

priority landscapes as the initial acquisition to create the Onion Ridge Natural Area, 16 miles

north of Colville in Stevens County. The purchase will target Idaho fescue/parsnip-flowered

buckwheat grassland, which is found on ridgetops or around rock outcrops. It is extremely rare

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

to find high-quality examples of this grassland type, which is being protected in only two other

areas. The purchase also will target ponderosa pine-Douglas fir/bluebunch wheatgrass

woodland, which occurs around balds and on shallow soils. It is not known whether this dry

forest community type is protected elsewhere. Finally, the purchase will target western

redcedar/wild sarsaparilla forest. Protecting this priority land will ensure that that the best

examples of these bald and forest communities are protected from logging planned for forests

immediately outside the approved preserve boundary. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife

and Recreation Program. (22-1379)

More projects in Stevens County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end of

this document.

Projects in Thurston County

Capitol Land Trust Grant Awarded: $2,122,000

Conserving Hudson Cove Habitat

The Capitol Land Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

on nearly 228 acres

of mostly undeveloped shoreline, pocket estuary, salt marsh, and forest on Totten Inlet in

Olympia. Known as Hudson Cove, this is the largest property on the inlet under private

ownership. The cove provides sheltered habitat for juvenile salmon species migrating to the

Pacific Ocean, spawning areas for the fish salmon eat, and important nesting and foraging

habitat in the salt marsh and mud flat for shorebirds. Fifteen species listed on state and federal

endangered species lists rely on the land's important habitat at some point in their lives. The

land hosts more than 1.5 miles of largely undeveloped, forested, marine shoreline, a 7.8-acre

pocket estuary, and 0.8 mile of streams. The land is zoned for houses and faces a high likelihood

of development. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

this project. This is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1241)

Evergreen Sportsmen's Club Grant Awarded: $150,000

Improving Rifle and Pistol Range Safety

The Evergreen Sportsmen's Club will use this grant to install a range safety control building with

a firing line public address system, toilet, parking, and pathways to target stations at its fifty-

year-old facility in Littlerock. The club also will improve its range stormwater drainage and

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

projectile containment berm and install "no blue sky" projectile barriers, cement shooting

benches, firing station lighting and heating, and fifteen rifle racks. The work will improve safety

and update the rifle and pistol range to better accommodate use in the rainy seasons. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the Firearms and Archery Range Recreation grant program. (22-2179)

Lacey Grant Awarded: $500,000

Beginning Development of Greg Cuoio Park

The City of Lacey will use this grant to plan and begin development of the 139-acre Greg Cuoio

Park, which is partially in the city and partially in Thurston County, between the intersections of

Draham and Carpenter Roads to the south and Hawks Prairie and Carpenter Roads to the north.

The City will develop safe entry off a busy county road, fifty parking stalls, about two miles of

trails, eighteen holes of disc golf, a park shelter, sitting and open play areas, and the first phase

of a large playground. The City also will add signs, a portable restroom enclosure, and

maintenance and emergency access. The project’s goal is to provide public access to outdoor

recreation space with a focus on passive use and protecting the wetlands, sensitive habitat

areas, and streams. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1298)

Olympia Grant Awarded: $500,000

Beginning Development of the Yelm Highway Community Park

The City of Olympia will use this grant to begin developing the sixty-acre Yelm Highway

Community Park. In this first phase of development, the City will build a rectangular field with

synthetic turf and lights, a playground, two basketball courts, six pickleball courts, 1.25 miles of

walking paths, a restroom, a picnic shelter, and a 176-stall parking lot. This first phase will

coincide with the Olympia School District's construction of a lit, synthetic turf, rectangular field

and track on abutting land. Combined, the two fields will lay the groundwork for the future

addition of two more fields on the park property to fully build out a soccer complex. These will

be Olympia's first dedicated rectangular fields in its park system. Soccer players have long

requested dedicated, quality fields in Olympia. Additionally, other rectangular field sports, such

as lacrosse, rugby, football, and ultimate Frisbee, are on the rise and need field space. While

serving primarily soccer, the fields will be open to a variety of other park users year-round. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1445)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Olympia Grant Awarded: $350,000

Building a Multiuse Field at Yelm Highway Community Park

The City of Olympia will use this grant to build a rectangular, multiuse field at the new sixty-acre

Yelm Highway Community Park. The City will build a full-size, synthetic turf, multiuse field with

lighting, a restroom, a kiosk, and eighty-eight parking stalls. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Youth Athletic

Facilities program. (22-1443)

Olympia Grant Awarded: $673,497

Developing Kaiser Woods Park

The City of Olympia will use this grant to develop the seventy-acre Kaiser Woods Park into a

forested hiking and mountain biking park in southwest Olympia, west of Ken Lake. The City will

build dedicated mountain bike trails, walking trails, a paved parking lot trailhead, and a paved

access road. Olympia does not have any dedicated mountain bike trails in its park system. In

addition, the City will buy 2.5 acres for the trailhead and primary access off Black Lake Boulevard.

The only access to the park is off a residential street. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife

and Recreation Program. (22-1543)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $3,345,000

Conserving South Sound Prairies

The Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to buy 217 acres in the historic violet and

rock prairie region of south Thurston County. The land includes four ecological systems of

concern–Willamette Valley upland prairie, Willamette Valley wet prairie, north Pacific oak

woodland, and temperate Pacific freshwater marsh–as well as critical habitat for Taylor’s

checkerspot butterfly and Mazama pocket gopher. Additionally, this land will provide access to

recreation activities including hiking, hunting, and horseback riding. This is the final phase of a

multiphase project. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1234)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $195,550

Maintaining Capitol Forest Off-Road Vehicle Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for crews to maintain ninety-four

miles of trail, two campgrounds, and three trailheads in Capitol State Forest near Olympia. Crews

will reroute small sections of trail, install and maintain drainage features, cut overgrown brush,

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

lay gravel to harden trail surfaces, maintain bridges, install signs, and take care of restrooms,

campsites, parking areas, and signs. These trails are used by off-road vehicle riders, hikers, and

mountain bikers. Capitol Forest saw more than 1.4 million visitors from 2019 to mid-2021. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2120)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $149,100

Maintaining Capitol Forest Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for crews to maintain eighty-one

miles of trail for nonmotorized use, trailheads, and facilities in Capitol State Forest, near

Olympia. Work will include clearing overgrown brush, maintaining drainage structures,

reshaping eroded sections of trail, hardening trail surfaces, and repairing bridges, kiosks, and

signs. The crews also will maintain restrooms, campsites, and parking area. From 2019 to mid-

2021, Capitol Forest saw more than 1.4 million visitors. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-

road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2119)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $197,500

Providing Patrols in Capitol State Forest

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for one full-time and one half-

time warden to patrol the 110,000-acre Capitol State Forest near Olympia. The forest hosts

176 miles of trail, 4 campgrounds, 6 trailheads, and more than 610 miles of forest roads. The

recreation wardens will concentrate on enforcing off-road vehicle use compliance and correcting

safety issues. Additionally, the wardens will support Forest Watch volunteers who help educate

visitors about safety and proper forest use and who help manage events. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2117)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $502,500

Restoring Grassland and Oak Woodlands in South Sound

The Washington Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Washington

Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to restore more than 700 acres of outwash

prairie, grassland bald, oak woodland, and wetland habitat at five of the most significant

conservation sites in the south Puget Sound region: Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, Mima Mounds

Natural Area Preserve, West Rocky Prairie Wildlife Area, Rocky Prairie Natural Area Preserve, and

Bald Hill Natural Area Preserve. The agencies will acquire native seeds and transplants; prepare

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

restoration areas for seeding through burning, mowing, and controlling invasive plants; and

then seed and replant these areas. These sites harbor some of the last remaining populations of

federal- and state-listed threatened and endangered plants and animals and Department of Fish

and Wildlife's Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the region. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1554)

Yelm Grant Awarded: $1,292,000

Extending the Yelm Prairie Line Trail

The City of Yelm will use this grant to extend the Yelm Prairie Line Trail across the Nisqually

River bridge and into Pierce County. This trail will be part of the historic Prairie Line Railroad

corridor and will connect the communities of Yelm, Rainier, and Tenino, supplying recreational

and transportation options to residents and visitors of Thurston County. Additionally, it will

provide potential opportunities for public water access and environmental education by linking

to Nisqually Land Trust properties. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1562)

More projects in Thurston County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in Wahkiakum County

Cathlamet Grant Awarded: $95,404

Renovating Cathlamet Skate Park

The Town of Cathlamet will use this grant to renovate an 8,000-square-foot, above-ground skate

park in Erickson Park. The Town will add skateboarding equipment, including half and quarter

pipes, bank ramps, grind rails, and ledges. In 2004 and 2006, volunteers raised nearly $31,500 to

build the concrete slab and skating equipment next to Wahkiakum County High School, an area

with limited outdoor recreational opportunities. This project will provide the community's youth

and recreational users of all skill levels with a safe and user-friendly space for outdoor

skateboarding and biking. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

more information and

photographs for of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation

Program. (22-1540)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Projects in Walla Walla County

Blue Mountain Land Trust Grant Awarded: $345,500

Conserving Welcome Table Farm

The Blue Mountain Land Trust will use this grant to buy an agricultural conservation easement

on the twenty-five-acre Welcome Table Farm, on Old Milton Highway in Walla Walla. Welcome

Table Farm has been growing a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers for ten years. The farm

also hosts college interns, annual kids’ summer camps, and educational events for the

community, highlighting the importance of locally produced food. In addition, the farm includes

about a half-mile of Yellow Hawk Creek, which is an important tributary for steelhead and bull

trout, which are listed under the Endangered Species Act, trying to reach Mill Creek. While the

area has historically been farmland, increasing development and conversion to non-farm uses

has occurred nearby in recent years. An agricultural easement on this property will ensure that

the productive farmland remains in agricultural use. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife

and Recreation Program. (22-1643)

College Place Grant Awarded: $281,023

Renovating Veterans Park

The City of College Place will use this grant to renovate 3.4 acres of Veterans Park. The City will

add restrooms, a full-size basketball court, and two pickleball courts. This is the only park

serving the Homestead community, which has more than 300 homes and is 25 percent youth.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1705)

Walla Walla Grant Awarded: $350,000

Improving the Mill Creek Sportsplex

The City of Walla Walla will use this grant to renovate the region's primary youth athletic

complex–the Mill Creek Sportsplex. Originally opened in 2002, the Mill Creek Sportsplex includes

three softball/baseball fields, two soccer fields, a skate park, and supporting amenities. The City

will convert ball field lighting to LED (light-emitting diode), add shade structures throughout the

site, improve pedestrian routes, and reconstruct three softball/baseball backstops. Visit RCO’s

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from

the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1737)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grant Awarded: $242,900

Restoring the Little Walla Walla River

The Department of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Tri-State Steelheaders and the

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, will use this grant to restore about a

quarter-mile of the West Little Walla Walla River and surrounding uplands in the Swegle Unit of

the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area, in Walla Walla County. The department will place wood

structures in the river, remove reed canary grass and poison hemlock from the riverbank, and

plant trees and shrubs along the riverbank and in the surrounding upland to improve habitat for

pollinators and other wildlife species. Planting the banks will help restore the degraded

Columbia Basin Foothill Riparian Woodland and Shrubland habitat type found in the area. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1517)

Projects in Whatcom County

Bellingham Grant Awarded: $764,081

Building Sunset Pond Trail

The City of Bellingham will use this grant to build a half-mile Sunset Pond Trail, which will

connect three different neighborhoods to the Squalicum Creek Trail and to Sunset Pond Park.

The project is in an area that lacks access to trails. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1417)

Bellingham Grant Awarded: $500,000

Enhancing Boulevard Park Shoreline and Improving Access

The City of Bellingham will use this grant to restore and enhance two beaches in Bellingham. For

the eastern beach, the City will install a rock revetment further inland and move an eroding trail.

Utilities and a storm drain trench also will be moved within the park. For the western beach, the

City will install a small rock revetment and remove invasive blackberry bushes. This will increase

safe access to the shoreline. For each site, the City will remove riprap, add sand and gravel in the

backshore, and install educational signs and plants. The plants will aid in mitigating the impacts

from sea-level rise and coastal erosion. Surf smelt will benefit from the project and have been

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

documented to spawn at the site. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account. (22-1475)

Nooksack Nordic Ski Club Grant Awarded: $12,750

Maintaining Mount Baker Trails

The Nooksack Nordic Ski Club will use this grant to groom and maintain fifteen miles of ski trails

and 5 miles of snowshoe trails in the Salmon Ridge trail system near the Mount Baker Ski area

off State Route 542. Work will include mowing and vegetation control in the summer, packing

snow and setting ski tracks once or twice a week in the winter, removing overgrown brush,

installing signs, and cleaning drainage systems to prevent trail erosion. The Salmon Ridge trail

system is the only groomed and tracked cross-country ski trail in northwest Washington. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2101)

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $150,830

Installing a Bridge over Olsen Creek

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to install an eighty-foot-long bridge

across Olsen Creek, in the Olsen Creek Forest Block, about six miles west of Bellingham.

Installation of this bridge will provide access to the southern half of the forest block and is a

critical component of the planned trail developments for this area. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2016)

Washington Farmland Trust Grant Awarded: $146,750

Preserving Coyote Bank Farm

Washington Farmland Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

on Coyote

Bank Farm, conserving about 11 acres and extinguishing the farm's remaining development

right. This project is a high priority because it preserves a smaller farm, which will be more

affordable to future generations of farmers. Located outside of Acme, Coyote Bank Farm is next

to Jones Creek and surrounded by several hundred acres of agricultural land and open space

that is being conserved as part of a larger initiative of Whatcom County. The easement will

protect the farm and allow for compatible wildlife habitat restoration. Washington Farmland

Trust will contribute $146,750 in a private grant. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and

Recreation Program. (22-1668)

Whatcom County Grant Awarded: $169,650

Conserving a Dairy Farm

Whatcom County will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

on one hundred acres of

prime agricultural soils and forestland on the Jacoby property, thirteen miles east of Bellingham.

The land supports Coldstream Farm, a dairy that is a leader in environmental sustainability. The

purchase will remove two development rights and protect working lands in an area of increasing

development pressure. The land is next to land owned by the Washington Department of

Natural Resources and Whatcom County South Fork Park. Conservation of the land will move

Whatcom County closer to its goal of protecting 100,000 acres of land for agriculture. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant

is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1322)

Whatcom Land Trust Grant Awarded: $665,402

Conserving Sensitive Land in the Stewart Mountain Community Forest

The Whatcom Land Trust will use this grant to buy 550 acres of salmon-bearing tributaries,

forest, and floodplain in the South Fork Nooksack River valley as the first phase of building the

Stewart Mountain Community Forest. The community forest is a collaborative effort to convert

5,500 acres of forestland into local ownership to be managed as a working forest that supports a

range of uses and community benefits. The land to be purchased contains nearly two miles of

stream bank on the South Fork Nooksack River and more than one mile of fish-bearing

tributaries in steep inner gorges. In 2021, severe weather led to deaths of 2,500 Chinook salmon,

debris flow, and a stream leaving its channel, all showing a pressing need to conserve the land

and protect both wildlife and people in the Nooksack River valley. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This is from the

Washington

Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1279)

Whatcom Land Trust Grant Awarded: $3,000,000

Expanding Stewart Mountain Community Forest

The Whatcom Land Trust will use this grant to buy 1,615 acres to expand the Stewart Mountain

Community Forest. The trust plans to expand the community forest to about 6,000 acres, which

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

will be managed as a working forest that provides a range of community benefits. The forest will

support sustainable local forestry jobs, enhance watershed health and resilience, expand

recreational access and connectivity, and promote local control of forest resources. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Community Forests Program. (22-1301)

Whatcom Snowmobile Association Grant Awarded: $26,060

Preparing Snowmobile Trails in North Fork Nooksack Glacier Area

The Whatcom Snowmobile Association will use this grant to prepare two U.S. Forest Service

road systems for snowmobile use. The association will remove overgrown brush, rocks, and

wood debris; install signs; and clean out water drainage structures in the Mount Baker-

Snoqualmie National Forest’s Glacier Creek and Canyon Creek basins. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the federal

Recreational Trails Program. (22-2389)

More projects in Whatcom County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section at the end

of this document.

Projects in Whitman County

Colfax Grant Awarded: $350,000

Upgrading Colfax City Pool

The City of Colfax will use this grant to rehabilitate the Colfax City Pool in Schmuck Park, off

State Route 195 on the Palouse River. The City will fix a 35,000 gallons per day leak, create an

entry for people with disabilities, and renovate the locker room. These improvements will

provide access to the facilities for people with disabilities and reduce operational and

maintenance costs. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the Youth Athletic Facilities program. (22-1487)

Palouse Land Trust Grant Awarded: $249,278

Conserving Zakarison Farmland

The Palouse Land Trust will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

on about 607 acres

of the Zakarison family farm on State Route 27, about five miles north of Pullman. With close

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

proximity to Pullman and sweeping views of Kamiak Butte and Moscow Mountain, the land will

become increasingly desirable for future home sites if not conserved. The farm produces wheat,

hay, oats, poultry, and lamb and hosts a feed grain business the serves dozens of families. The

Zakarison family experiments with growing a rotation of specialty grains, oil seed crops, and

cover crops to increase the fertility of soil, and integrates livestock as part of the regenerative

strategy. The land trust intends to buy all but one development right and eliminate future

division of this agricultural land. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1435)

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $2,018,261

Improving the Palouse to Cascades Trail

State Parks will use this grant to improve the Palouse to Cascades Trail between Malden and the

historic site known as Kenova. This five-mile section of trail includes three trestles that burned in

the Babb Road Fire in 2020. State Parks will restore and fireproof the bridge trestles, upgrade

the trail surface, reinstate drainage, and develop a trailhead and access point at Kenova. This

segment of trail will connect to a trailhead being built in Malden, and when combined, will

provide about fourteen miles of contiguous trail through this dramatic eastern Washington

landscape. Part of the Great American Rail Trail that stretches across the United States, the

Palouse to Cascades Trail runs more than 285 miles across Washington. It is used for non-

motorized activities such as bicycling, walking, bird watching, and horseback riding. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from

the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1480)

Projects in Yakima County

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Naches Campsites Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to retain a crew of four employees for five months

during two years to maintain forty-two recreation areas. The crew will repair deteriorated tables,

bent fire ring grills, broken bulletin boards, and uprooted bollards, and preserve site markers,

paint signs and bathrooms, and fix parking area delineators. An estimated 147,840 people

recreated at the forty-two sites, participating in a range of activities including camping, hiking,

picnicking, boating, wildlife viewing, and fishing. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2237)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $111,500

Restoring the Deer Creek Wetland

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to restore the 122-acre Deer Creek

wetland in the Klickitat Canyon Natural Resources Conservation Area, three miles northeast of

Glenwood. The wetland is used by the greater sandhill crane, a state endangered species. One of

only five sandhill crane nesting areas in Washington is near the project site. The site provides

important foraging habitat during the nesting season. The Deer Creek wetland has been

seriously damaged by ditching, roads, livestock grazing, and invasion by non-native species.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This

grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1405)

Washington State Conservation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,460,550

Preserving Emerick Rangeland

The State Conservation Commission will use this grant to buy a conservation easement

2,576 acres of rangeland in Yakima County. The land supports quality grazing opportunities for

150 cows. The easement will protect the early spring and summer pasture permanently, which is

a critical piece of the overall farm business. In addition, the land provides critical habitat to many

animals and plant communities, several of which are unique to this landscape and listed as

endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. The landowners already

have the fourth and fifth generations lined up to continue the operation. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1545)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Caring for Naches Wilderness Trails Grant Awarded: $75,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to fund a trail crew to maintain 360 miles of

wilderness and other trails for nonmotorized use in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in

Yakima County. The wilderness areas offer scenic hiking and horseback riding through old-

growth forests and alpine meadows with stunning vistas of Mount Rainier and Mount Adams.

The crew will remove fallen trees, clear brush, replace and repair water drainage structures and

small bridges, and rebuild trail surfaces. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails

Program. (22-2284)

This is a voluntary agreement to sell the right to develop the land and permanently prevent future

development and subdivision by placing a restriction on the property title.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Naches Motorized Trails Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to fund a trail crew to maintain 75 percent of its

more than 300 miles of motorcycle and four-by-four trails in Yakima and Kittitas Counties. The

district also will complete larger maintenance projects on about one hundred miles of trail in

two years. Crews will remove overgrown brush and fallen trees, repair drainage structures and

trail surfaces, and maintain signs. The trails annually host 45,000 motorcycle, jeep, and off-road

vehicle riders, who enjoy its variety of trails, diverse landscapes, sunny weather, and closeness to

urban centers. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2282)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Naches Wilderness Trails Grant Awarded: $150,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to pay for a crew and support volunteers to

maintain about 360 miles of wilderness trails for two years. Work will include removing fallen

trees, clearing overgrown brush, restoring trail surfaces, maintaining drainage structures, and

building and maintaining signs and trail structures. About 40,000 visitors recreate annually in

these wilderness areas, which offer scenic hiking and horseback riding through old-growth

forests and alpine meadows with stunning vistas of Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. The

system also includes eighty miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2283)

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Naches Wilderness Education Rangers Grant Awarded: $10,000

The Naches Ranger District will use this grant to partially fund up to four rangers and volunteers

seasonally to patrol high-use areas in the wilderness and backcountry of the district. The rangers

will educate visitors and provide enforcement to protect the natural resources and visitor safety.

The Naches Ranger District encompasses some of the most popular day hiking, backpacking,

and horse packing destinations in Washington including Dewey, Twin Sisters, Warm, and

Surprise Lakes, which have been popularized in numerous guidebooks. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project.

This grant is from the federal

Recreational Trails Program. (22-2285)

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $200,000

Maintaining Ahtanum Off-Road Vehicle Facilities and Trails

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for two employees to maintain

more than forty-two miles of off-road vehicle trails, twelve campgrounds, and four trailheads in

the Ahtanum State Forest, thirty miles west of Yakima. The employees will clear overgrown

brush, repair drainage structures, inspect and maintain bridges, remove litter, and maintain fire

rings, signs, and campsites. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-1878)

Yakima Grant Awarded: $500,000

Building a Pool in Martin Luther King Jr. Park

The Yakima Parks and Recreation Department will use this grant to build a swimming pool, a

zero-depth entry wading area, possible water slides, restrooms, showers, and changing areas in

Martin Luther King Jr. Park, in east Yakima. The park once contained a pool, but it was removed

because of aging infrastructure. Yakima will contribute $7.50 million in a state appropriation,

cash, and donated cash. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.

(22-1453)

More projects in Yakima County are listed in the “Multiple Counties” section below.

Projects in Multiple Counties

Chelan, Clark, Ferry, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Okanogan, Pierce, San

Juan, Snohomish, and Whatcom Counties

Washington Trails Association Grant Awarded: $75,000

Providing Youth Crews to Maintain Urban Trails

The Washington Trails Association will use this grant to provide 27,916 hours of youth (ages ten

through twenty-five) labor to maintain eighty-eight miles of trails over two years. The

association believes that hikers will protect the places they love to hike, which means the future

of Washington's trails depends on encouraging the next generation to get outside and give

back. The youth crews will tackle the state's most pressing trail maintenance issues on hiking,

mountain biking, and equestrian trails. The crews will clear overgrown brush, repair trail surfaces,

and improve drainage. The project will consist of daylong work parties on urban or front-

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

country trails, which typically are near major cities like Bellingham, Seattle, Spokane, and

Vancouver and weeklong, youth volunteer vacations in more remote backcountry areas across

the state. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-1896)

Chelan, Clark, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania,

Stevens, Thurston, and Yakima Counties

Northwest Motorcycle Association Grant Awarded: $107,480

Supporting Volunteer Crews to Maintain Motorcycle Trails

The Northwest Motorcycle Association Motorized will use this grant to support a volunteer crew

to maintain multiuse, singletrack trails across Washington. The crews will restore trail surfaces

and clear overgrown brush and fallen trees. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2421)

Chelan, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Skagit,

Skamania, Snohomish, Stevens, and Yakima Counties

Northwest Motorcycle Association Grant Awarded: $121,195

Maintaining Trails for Motorized Uses Statewide

The Northwest Motorcycle Association Motorized will use this grant to provide volunteers to

maintain trails for motorized uses. The crews will remove overgrown brush and fallen trees and

repair trail surfaces. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2422)

Chelan, Cowlitz, King, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Skagit,

Stevens, Thurston, and Yakima Counties

Northwest Motorcycle Association Grant Awarded: $150,000

Completing Heavy Maintenance on Motorcycle Trails Statewide

The Northwest Motorcycle Association will use this grant to support a crew to complete heavy

maintenance projects for two years on forty miles of off-road motorcycling trails across the

state. There are about 1,500 miles of singletrack trail on public lands, which also are used for

cross-country running, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding. The trails have been used

heavily for decades and the recent increase in outdoor recreationists has accelerated trail

degradation. Estimates put 27 percent of the trails in a degraded condition. Visit RCO’s online

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the

federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2420)

Chelan, Ferry, King, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Spokane, and Yakima Counties

Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Grant Awarded: $50,000

Maintaining Eastern Washington Trails

The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance will use this grant to provide nearly 9,000 hours of

volunteer labor to maintain more than 200 miles of trails for nonmotorized uses and more than

120 miles for motorized uses at recreation sites throughout eastern Washington important to

mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians, motorcycles, and others. The volunteers will respond to

emergency repairs needed because of fires and storms. The crews also help prepare trails for

early season openings and catch up on maintenance backlogs. Visit RCO’s online Project

Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the federal

Recreational Trails Program. (22-2195)

Chelan, Grant, and Kittitas Counties

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $150,000

Maintaining Recreation Facilities in Eastern Washington

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to pay for staff, equipment, and

materials to maintain campgrounds in Chelan, Grant, and Kittitas Counties. Staff will maintain

20 toilets, 187 campsites, 4 day-use areas and trailheads, and dispersed recreation areas in three,

department-owned blocks of land. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities

grant program. (22-1880)

Chelan, Grays Harbor, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skagit,

Skamania, and Stevens Counties

Northwest Motorcycle Association Grant Awarded: $200,000

Supporting a Heavy Maintenance Crew

The Northwest Motorcycle Association will use this grant to support a crew to complete heavy

maintenance projects for two years on forty miles of off-road motorcycling trails across the

state. There are about 1,500 miles of single-track trail on public lands, which also are used for

cross-country running, mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding. The trails have been used

heavily for decades and the recent increase in outdoor recreationists, natural forces, and logging

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

100

has accelerated trail degradation and obliterated the water control features. Estimates put

27 percent of the trails in a degraded condition. The crew will resolve water control issues and

restore trail surface. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-2027)

Chelan, Lewis, Pend Oreille, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom Counties

Back Country Horsemen of Washington Grant Awarded: $75,000

Maintaining Endangered Trails

The Back Country Horsemen of Washington will use this grant to clear and maintain 355 miles of

trails on public lands across the state. Crews will remove downed trees, clear overgrown brush,

and repair trail surfaces and drainage structures. Addressing trail hazards will be the highest

priority to ensure safe access for all users. The horsemen volunteers will provide pack support to

partner groups. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs of

this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-1892)

Back Country Horsemen of Washington Grant Awarded: $63,750

Reopening At-Risk Trails Statewide

The Back Country Horsemen of Washington will use this grant to repair trails in five national

forest severely damaged by fires, flooding, tree disease, and windstorms. The group will

organize at least six regional work parties each year to clear trails blocked with logs and debris.

Back Country Horsemen use stock to pack tools and supplies far into the backcountry to

maintain trails, which, once blocked, typically remain blocked for many years and face

permanent closure. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-1982)

Chelan and Okanogan Counties

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Providing Patrols for the Central Zone Backcountry Grant Awarded: $200,000

The Entiat Ranger District will use this grant to pay for two full-time seasonal rangers and

support four AmeriCorps volunteer rangers to patrol about 300 miles of multiuse trails,

including 7 campgrounds and 29 trailheads. The rangers will patrol in the Entiat, Wenatchee

River, Chelan, and Methow Valley Ranger Districts in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

in Chelan and Okanogan Counties. The rangers will patrol on weekends and high-use times to

teach visitors how to recreate responsibly and have good riding behavior on multiuse trails.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

101

Many of the trails are in highly erosive pumice soil or fragile meadows, and the rangers will

teach off-road vehicle riders, horse rides, mountain bikers, and hikers how best to use the trails.

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This

grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2228)

Clallam, Ferry, Okanogan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties

Pacific Northwest Trail Association Grant Awarded: $75,000

Caring for the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

The Pacific Northwest Trail Association will use this grant to hire trail crews to maintain more

than one hundred miles of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail and its feeder trails. The

crews will perform annual and deferred maintenance on trails for hiking, horseback riding, and

mountain biking. The trail traverses five national forests, two national parks, and numerous

federal, state, and local management areas from the Salmo Priest Wilderness on the

Washington-Idaho border to the Pacific Coast on the Olympic Peninsula. The association’s crews

are especially adept at servicing hard-to-reach places like the Pasayten Wilderness and north

Cascade Mountains. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2164)

Clallam, Jefferson, and Mason Counties

Back Country Horsemen of Washington Grant Awarded: $62,282

Restoring and Maintaining Olympic Peninsula Trails

The Back Country Horsemen of Washington will use this grant to provide volunteer labor to

rehabilitate about 550 miles of trail in the Olympic Peninsula. This region gets more than

300 inches of rain annually and vegetation on the Peninsula is extremely fast growing, which can

create unsafe trails, (such as those with dangerous tread, unwanted erosion, failing foot logs,

damaged drainage structures, missing signs, unclear corridors, and downed trees). Crews will

clear fallen trees and brush, improve stream crossings, fix trail surfaces, and rebuild failing

drainage structures. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-1822)

Clark, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, and

Snohomish Counties

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

102

Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance Grant Awarded: $75,000

Maintaining Western Washington Trails

The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance will use this grant to provide 15,556 hours of volunteer

labor to maintain more than 300 miles of trails for non-motorized uses and more than 50 miles

for motorized uses at recreation sites throughout western Washington important to mountain

bikers but that also serve hikers, equestrians, and motorized uses. The volunteers will respond to

emergency repairs needed because of fires and storms, help prepare trails for early season

openings, and help ready more than twenty miles of new trails set to open this year. Visit RCO’s

online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from

the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2194)

Washington Trails Association Grant Awarded: $75,000

Maintaining Backcountry Trails Statewide

The Washington Trails Association will use this grant to provide 4,500 volunteers performing

more than 28,000 hours of maintenance on 315 miles of backcountry trails. Through multi day

work parties, the crews will remove overgrown brush and downed trees, repair trail surfaces,

build retaining walls, and reroute small sections of trail. Two million hikers and backpackers use

backcountry trails in Washington annually, making backcountry trails an essential part of the

state's trail system. However, these trails do not receive enough maintenance to keep up with

visitor demand and the damage caused by extreme winters and fires. Without immediate

maintenance, many of these trails are at risk of being lost. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project.

This grant is from the federal Recreational

Trails Program. (22-1898)

Cowlitz and Skamania Counties

Mount Saint Helens Institute Grant Awarded: $7,500

Creating Educational Videos Promoting Responsible Recreation

The Mount St. Helens Institute will use this grant to train its volunteer Mountain Stewards to

engage trail users on being prepared, responding to medical and other incidents, and caring for

the environment. In addition, the institute’s volunteers will create short videos about

environmental stewardship, equity in the outdoors, the cultural and research value of the

mountain, and resource protection. The goal is to increase visitor awareness and decrease

damage to infrastructure and cultural areas. Mount St. Helens is an iconic Washington

landscape, part of the state’s rich natural and cultural heritage, and a laboratory for

understanding geological and ecological processes following the volcano’s eruption in 1980.

Recreation and Conservation

Grants Awarded

2023-2025

103

Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project. This

grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2309)

Cowlitz and Thurston Counties

Washington Department of Natural Resources Grant Awarded: $148,000

Maintaining Capitol and Yacolt Burn State Forests

The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to maintain campgrounds and facilities

in the Capitol and Yacolt Burn State Forests near Olympia and Vancouver, respectively, as well as

other recreation facilities in the department’s Pacific Cascade Region. Crews will clean restrooms,

repair facilities, pump vault toilets, remove litter, and maintain the McLane Creek interpretive

nature trails. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more

information and photographs of this

project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program.

(22-1946)

Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish,

Spokane, Thurston, and Whatcom Counties

Washington Trails Association Grant Awarded: $75,000

Maintaining Front Country Trails

The Washington Trails Association will use this grant to provide 4,500 volunteers to perform

nearly 39,000 hours of maintenance on 152 miles of backpacking, hiking, and equestrian trails,

most of which are near the major urban areas of Puget Sound, Vancouver, and Spokane. Crews

will remove overgrown brush and downed trees and repair trail surfaces and drainage structures.

These front country trails are suffering from overuse, which has created significant trail

maintenance backlogs on Washington's most popular trails. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot

for more information and photographs of this project.

This grant is from the federal Recreational

Trails Program. (22-1897)

Grays Harbor, King, Kittitas, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, and Thurston

Counties

Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association Grant Awarded: $7,380

Providing Spill Kits to Off-Road Vehicle Enthusiasts

Th Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association will use this grant to provide spill kits for trail

visitors to use to remove soil contaminated by oil and antifreeze. The kits will be a tool to

educate visitors about how to recreate responsible and protect the environment when driving

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104

off-highway vehicles. The kits will be handed out at the association’s year-round events and

provide trail users with a way to dispose of waste and protect wildlife from harmful fluids. Visit

RCO’s online Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant

is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2288)

King and Kittitas Counties

Mountains to Sound Greenway Grant Awarded: $75,000

Maintaining the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trails

The Greenway Trust will use this grant to maintain eighty miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian

trails for two years in the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area. The

1.5 million-acre greenway stretches from Puget Sound across the Cascade Mountains to central

Washington and includes 1,000 miles of some of the most popular trails in the state. Crews will

clear downed trees and overgrown brush, replace signs, and repair trail surfaces and drainage

structures in the Issaquah Alps (Cougar, Squak, Tiger, and Rattlesnake Mountains), destinations

in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley, along the Pacific Crest Trail, in the Alpine Lakes

Wilderness, and other popular hiking trails along the Interstate 90 corridor. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2262)

Kittitas, Mason, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skamania, and Yakima Counties

Washington Off Highway Vehicle Alliance Grant Awarded: $196,508

Providing a Heavy Maintenance Crew

The Washington Off Highway Vehicle Alliance will use this grant to provide heavy maintenance

on a portion of more than 223 miles of multiuse, two-track trails open to off-highway vehicles

on U.S. Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural Resources’ land. These trails have

not been maintained due to inadequate funding. The alliance crews will restore trail surfaces and

drainage structures, remove fallen trees, and clear overgrown brush. The work will enhance the

trail user experience and reduce erosion in sensitive areas and streams. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2200)

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Grants Awarded

2023-2025

105

Kittitas, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, and Thurston Counties

Washington Off Highway Vehicle Alliance Grant Awarded: $66,575

Supporting Volunteer Trail Maintenance Efforts

The Washington Off Highway Vehicle Alliance will use this grant to support volunteer crews to

maintain two-track trails on U.S. Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural

Resources’ lands. The crews will clear overgrown brush, haul out garbage, build bridges, haul

rock, and teach environmental stewardship. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

information and photographs of this project. This grant is from the Nonhighway and Off-road

Vehicle Activities grant program. (22-2201)

Lewis and Pierce Counties

Mount Tahoma Trails Association Grant Awarded: $15,000

Grooming and Maintaining Ashford Area Trails

The Mount Tahoma Trails Association will use this grant to maintain twenty-nine miles of

backcountry trails surrounding Ashford. The trails are used mostly for cross-country skiing and

snowshoeing in winter and hiking and mountain biking in summer. The area has four

backcountry huts providing overnight accommodations for skiers, snowshoers, and hikers. Wok

will include grooming, removing downed trees, and repairing trail signs. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs of this project

. This grant is from the

federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2337)

Skagit, Okanogan, and Whatcom Counties

U.S. Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Maintaining Trails in the Methow Valley Grant Awarded: $75,000

The Methow Valley Ranger District will use this grant to maintain 166 miles of summer trails in

Okanogan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. Crews will remove downed trees and repair trail

surfaces and drainage structures. The work will focus on portions of the Lake Chelan Sawtooth

and Pasayten Wilderness areas and the North Cascades Scenic Highway corridor. The trail

system is a significant draw for recreationists and benefits the rural communities’ businesses,

supporting up to 30 percent of the jobs in one county. The trail system is used by hikers,

equestrians, and mountain bikers. Visit RCO’s online Project Snapshot for

more information and

photographs of this project. This grant is from the federal Recreational Trails Program. (22-2114)

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2023-2025

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Statewide

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Grant Awarded: $1,500,000

Buying Land in or Next to State Parks

State Parks will use this grant to buy high-priority land in or next to state parks. This funding

allows State Parks to buy smaller, lower-cost land when opportunities arise. Visit RCO’s online

Project Snapshot for more information and photographs

of this project. This grant is from the

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (22-1438)