Yakima River Mile 89.5 Floodplain Reconnection

This project aims to restore side channel and wetland habitat over 900 acres and 6 miles of side channels on the Yakima River, near the town of Toppenish, Washington, within the Yakama Reservation. The intent is to restore fish and wildlife habitat, which have been degraded by land use changes, land conversion to agriculture, and river regulation. Specifically, the project will improve and  increase habitat for migratory waterfowl and songbirds, riparian and aquatic mammals such as beaver, otter, and deer, and provide off-channel winter and spring habitat for salmon, steelhead, and lamprey. The project is led and managed by Yakama Nation Fisheries and Wildlife staff, and supported by funding from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Commision, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Washington Department of Ecology through the Yakima Integrated Plan.