New Project will Create Salmon Refuge on the Hood River

Thirty acres of prime fish habitat will be protected along the upper Sandy River as the result of a purchase agreement Western Rivers Conservancy has signed with the landowners.

This reach of the Sandy, which includes the communities of Brightwood, Wildwood, Wemme and Zigzag, is heavily developed with homes, with more subdivisions being constructed. The thirty-acre property boasts over a half mile of Sandy River frontage with mature riparian forest. It also contains a large wetland and an entire off-stream channel of the Sandy. Nearly two-thirds of the land is in the 100-year floodplain, while the upland portions harbor mature stands of Douglas fir and western hemlock. Sandy River fisheries biologists have designated this reach as Primary Anchor Habitat for winter steelhead and spring chinook, both listed as threatened species.

Building more homes would deal a blow to these irreplaceable aquatic and terrestrial habitats critical to restoring runs of Sandy River fish. It is important to the long-term recovery and health of Sandy River salmon and steelhead that the few remaining pieces of intact habitat in this reach be protected to serve as stepping stones between the large expanses of high-quality habitat both upstream and downstream.

By purchasing this property, preventing development and putting the land into permanent conservation stewardship, Western Rivers Conservancy is expanding its efforts in the Sandy basin. Until now, WRC has focused its efforts on the middle Sandy and Little Sandy Rivers. This agreement marks our commitment to acquire and conserve high-quality stream reaches across the entire Sandy River basin.