Land Trust purchases 73 acres to protect salmon habitat

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Land along Kahler Creek near Nason Ridge benefits salmon and trail users

WENATCHEE — The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) has purchased 73 acres along Kahler Creek and Nason Creek for protection of salmon habitat and to secure conservation of a popular recreational trail. The purchase protects 1 mile of river frontage along Kahler Creek, plus .3 miles of river frontage on the mainstem of Nason Creek.

Kahler Creek has both excellent salmon rearing and spawning habitat as well as consistently cool water temperatures. The creek empties into Nason Creek, one of the most productive and important salmon streams in the entire Wenatchee River system.

This property adjoins the 3,714 acre Nason Ridge property, recently conserved by CDLT, Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC), and others. Part of the widely-used Nason Ridge trail system crosses the Land Trust’s new Kahler Creek property. CDLT looks forward to welcoming trail users and working with the community to provide public access compatible with habitat protection.

The Land Trust is grateful to the family of Clyde Toole, who sold the property for conservation purposes in keeping with his wishes, and to the Western Rivers Conservancy for acquiring the property and selling it to CDLT. Funding for this purchase was provided by the Priest Rapids Coordinating Committee Habitat Subcommittee through Grant PUD’s habitat funds (PRCC) and the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

Permanent stewardship of the property by the Land Trust is being made possible through funding from the PRCC and the Tina Scull Opportunity Fund, founded by Tina and Eliot Scull, with additional contributions from Terry and Suzanne Sorom, and Bill and Mary Griffin.