Cooperative Agreement F26AC00153

THE WENTACHEE FOOTHILLS MAKE UP OVER 2000 ACRES OF MIXED OWNERSHIP OPEN SPACE BORDERING THE ENTIRE WESTERN SIDE OF THE CITY OF WENATCHEE. THANKS TO CONSIDERABLE EFFORT FROM THE COMMUNITY, NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS, CITY OF WENATCHEE, CHELAN PUBLIC UTILITY DEPARTMENT (PUD), AND OTHERS THIS SHRUB STEPPE ECOSYSTEM HAS BEEN PRESERVED. PRIMARY OWNERSHIP INCLUDES CITY OF WENATCHEE, CHELAN-DOUGLAS LANDTRUST, CHELAN PUD AND SEVERAL PRIVATE LANDOWNERS. CHELAN PUD HAS A MANDATE TO MANAGE THEIR PORTION OF THE FOOTHILLS FOR MULE DEER WINTER RANGE, AND COORDINATES WITH ADJACENT LANDOWNERS TO CLOSE THE AREA DURING PEEK MIGRATION SEASONS TO ALLOW FOR QUALITY WINTER RANGE AND HIGH ANIMAL USE. WHILE THIS AREA IS IMPORTANT WILDLIFE HABITAT, IT IS ALSO PRONE TO FREQUENT WILDFIRE. THE ENTIRE FOOTHILLS ARE WITHIN THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE, AND HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE CHELAN COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS PLAN AS A HIGH PRIORITY FOR PROJECTS WHICH CAN REDUCE RISK TO THE COMMUNITY OF WENATCHEE AND CRITICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT. IN RESPONSE TO THIS PLAN, AND SEVERAL RECENT WILDFIRE EVENTS, A COLLABORATIVE GROUP OF PARTNERS ESTABLISHED THE WENATCHEE SLOPES RESTORATION (WSR) WORKING GROUP. THE WSR HAS DEVELOPED A PLAN ACROSS THE ENTIRE FOOTHILLS WHICH IDENTIFIES HIGH PRIORITY AREAS FOR ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, WHICH WOULD SERVE A DUAL PURPOSE OF ENHANCING WILDLIFE HABITAT AND REDUCING WILDFIRE RISK. THE PRIMARY METHODOLOGY HAS BEEN CONVERTING CHEAT GRASS STANDS TO LOW GROWING NATIVE BUNCH GRASSES FOLLOWING WILDFIRES USING A COMBINATION OF HERBICIDE TREATMENTS FOLLOWED BY SEEDING. ONE OF THE PRIORITY LOCATIONS FOR REESTABLISHING NATIVE PLANT COMMUNITIES IS IN A SMALL CANYON BELOW THE BROADVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS CANYON ENCOMPASSES 9 ACRES OF PRIMARILY CHEAT GRASS, WITH VARIOUS NON-NATIVE SHRUBS AND TREE SPECIES DOMINATING THE BOTTOM OF THE DRAW. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO CONDUCT FUEL REDUCTION OF NON-NATIVE TREES, HERBICIDE TREATMENTS ACROSS THE SLOPE, AND REPLANTING WITH NATIVE GRASSES, FORBES, SHRUBS AND TREES. LANDOWNER AGREEMENTS, CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEYS, PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CONTRACTING WOULD BE COMPLETED BY CASCADIA CONSERVATION DISTRICT WITH ASSISTANCE FROM PARTNERS AT WENATCHEE VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WSU MASTER GARDENERS. ADDITIONALLY, CASCADIA WILL UTILIZE OUT SEASON FIELD STAFF TO CONDUCT 2 YEARS OF MAINTENANCE AND OUR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TEAM WILL WORK WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A MONITORING PLAN TO ASSESS TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS. THE PROJECT WILL DIERCTLY BENEFIT MULE DEER AND OTHER SPECIES, AS WELL AS OVER 20 RESIDENCES DIRECTLY ABOVE BROADVIEW GULCH (SEVERAL OF WHICH BURNED DOWN IN THE 2015 SLEEPY HOLLOW FIRE). THE GREATER WENATCHEE COMMUNITY OF ~30,000 WILL ALSO BENEFIT AS THIS IS A VERY POPULAR RECREATION AREA, AND WHEN IT BURNS, HAS LED TO URBAN IGNITIONS FROM EMBERS FLYING AS FAR AS 5 MILES INTO THE CITY CENTER.