North Fork Coppei Creek Conservation Easement
Project Sponsor:
Tri-State Steelheaders Inc.
Project Goal:
The goal of the project is to protect degraded habitat from further degradation
with the intent to restore the habitat.
Location:
From Walla Walla, take Hwy 12 east through Dixie. Leaving Dixie, the highway
climbs a hill. At the top of the hill, turn right onto Lewis Peak Rd. The road
immediately forks. Take the left fork going up the hill (Walker Rd). At the stop
sign (1.4 miles, at a "T" intersection) turn left onto South Fork Coppei Creek
Road. The road will cross the south and north forks of Coppei Creek and come to
a stop sign (0.8 mi). Turn right at the stop onto North Fork Coppei Creek Road.
The project site begins in 0.9 miles at the roadside cluster of silos.
Status:
Funded
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Project Description:
This project will result in a conservation easement on approximately 40
acres in the Coppei Creek drainage in eastern Walla Walla County. The
easement will protect a perennial spring and protect the quality of water
from the spring that feeds into the steelhead bearing North Fork of Coppei
Creek.
The proposed easement was once in agricultural use, and is surrounded by lands in agriculture. The potential exists for the land of the proposed easement to return to agriculture. By protecting the acreage in a permanent conservation easement, the spring-fed drainage will be protected on both sides along its entire one mile length from development, protected from livestock use, and protected from commercial agriculture. Riparian and upland vegetation will be maintained where they already exist, with future habitat enhancement planned.
Coppei Creek, its forks, and the entire Coppei drainage are ranked by the Walla Walla Subbasin Plan (draft) and by the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board (regional lead entity) as priority reaches for steelhead protection and restoration. Development pressures are increasing throughout the basin. Similar scenic county lands nearby are being sub-divided and developed. Protecting this acreage in a permanent conservation easement will prevent development or a return to agriculture in a drainage that directly feeds the North Fork of Coppei Creek. Currently this acreage is not protected from those uses.
