Photos: David Hagen

WELCOME TO

COWICHE CANYON CONSERVANCY

Protecting our shrub-steppe habitat

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (CCC) connects people to nature. We are a non-profit land trust in Yakima, Washington protecting our shrub-steppe habitat – a unique landscape made up of sagebrush and grasslands, flowering meadows, oak woodlands, and basalt cliffs. CCC owns and manages over 5,000 acres of land and provides more than 30 miles of trails for outdoor recreation. We conserve these natural areas and connect people to them through recreation and education.

 

What’s Going On? CCC news and events!

This image, taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the globular cluster Terzan 1. Lying around 20 000 light-years from us in the constellation of Scorpius (The Scorpion), it is one of about 150 globular clusters belonging to our galaxy, the Milky Way. Typical globular clusters are collections of around a hundred thousand stars, held together by their mutual gravitational attraction in a spherical shape a few hundred light-years across. It is thought that every galaxy has a population of globular clusters. Some, like the Milky Way, have a few hundred, while giant elliptical galaxies can have several thousand. They contain some of the oldest stars in a galaxy, hence the reddish colours of the stars in this image — the bright blue ones are foreground stars, not part of the cluster. The ages of the stars in the globular cluster tell us that they were formed during the early stages of galaxy formation! Studying them can also help us to understand how galaxies formed. Terzan 1, like many globular clusters, is a source of X-rays. It is likely that these X-rays come from binary star systems that contain a dense neutron star and a normal star. The neutron star drags material from the companion star, causing a burst of X-ray emission. The system then enters a quiescent phase in which the neutron star cools, giving off X-ray emission with different characteristics, before enough material from the companion builds up to trigger another outburst.

STARGAZING PARTY

@ SNOW MOUNTAIN RANCH

POSTPONED TO TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 7:30 PM

Balsamroot & the Cowiche Canyon Trail_DHS6210_edited-2

EARTH DAY WALKS 

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 10AM TO 1230PM

COWICHE CANYON WEST TRAILHEAD

CCRocks2023WebsiteTopWEB

COWICHE  CANYON ROCKS
ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
APRIL 30, 2 – 5 PM

 

WE LOVE THIS LAND

EXPANDING HABITAT

AND TRAIL ACCESS

We recently expanded protection of shrub-steppe habitat near Konnowac Pass. We purchased two properties totaling 170 acres. Two generous supporters have donated another 603 adjacent acres. These lands offer unique views, new recreation opportunities for the lower Yakima Valley, and regional habitat connectivity. Stay tuned for updates about trail access, wayfinding signs, and more! 

CONSERVATION

CCC has permanently protected

over 3,446 acres of important

shrub-steppe habitat.

We are committed to preserving and restoring the essential features of shrub-steppe and riparian terrain within the Cowiche Creek and Naches River watershed areas of Yakima Valley. 

TRAILS &

RECREATION

CCC manages a significant
“back-country” trail network
open year round.

There are over 40 miles of trails through sage and grasslands, flowering meadows, oak woodlands, and basalt and andesite cliffs.

EDUCATION &

COMMUNITY

OUTREACH

CCC offers educational

opportunities to learn

about the shrub-steppe.

We offer guided walks and hikes, lectures, field trips for school age kids, and other community events.

When you donate to Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, you are supporting the preservation of wide open spaces and trails where we all can share the beauty of nature with friends and family. You are supporting a place where you can relieve stress, find peace and quiet, and connect with the natural world around you!

 

Learn more about how you can support the Conservancy.

Sun Trail Hiking Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Recreation Shrub-Steppe Illustration Conservation Education

There are many ways you can volunteer and support our work:

events, guiding hikes, trail work, stewardship (weeding and restoration), and citizen science.

Contact us for more information!

Runners Uplands Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Recreation Hiking Shrub-Steppe Illustration