In The News!

Photo: Thane Phelan

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Our programs and projects earn local and regional news coverage. Below are some of our most recent stories.

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy educates community on monarch conservation at annual event

September 24, 2023 – KIMA news

The Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (CCC) is educating people on what they can do to save monarchs as the population continues to decline

Yakima Residents Mark Earth Day with Focus on Nature and Sustainability

April 24, 2023 – Yakima Herald-Republic

Laughter, footsteps and a babbling creek echoed off the walls of Cowiche Canyon on Saturday as kids, parents and community members strode up and down trails for the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy’s Earth Day Walks.

Wandering Central WA: The shrub-steppe: not the wasteland you think it is

February 1, 2023 – Yakima Herald-Republic

I challenge you, reader, especially those who have been born and raised in Central Washington but who might not have spent any time in the steppe, to see its limitless beauty and inherent value.

DTG’s Expansion Looms Over Trails at Rocky Top West of Yakima

September 11, 2022 – Yakima Herald-Republic

Rocky Top trails provide a unique combination of wildflowers, shrub steppe, single track trails graded for mountain biking, and expansive views of the Yakima Valley.

New Hope for a Rare Plant at Hanford Reach

January 27, 2022 – KUOW

Wildfires, invasive species and climate change are seriously threatening the Hanford Reach National Monument, and with it, a rare plant that grows only in one place in the world.

This winter, a team of plant researchers is giving the Umtanum desert buckwheat new hope. Researchers and volunteers planted a second outcropping at the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy near Yakima.

Yakima Valley College and Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Team Up for Free Science Lectures

January 4, 2022 – Yakima Herald-Republic

Yakima Valley College and Cowiche Canyon Conservancy will host their annual Winter Talk series January through March with free, online lectures for the public..

Campaign to Save Cowiche Canyon Conservancy’s Uplands Reaches Goal

May 13, 2020 – Yakima Herald – Republic

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy has announced that its capital campaign to protect the uplands area of the shrub-steppe habitat from development was a success.

The nonprofit raised more than $1.2 million to purchase and protect 245 acres of private land in the heart of the uplands.

A Way to Release: Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, Greenway Provide Outdoor Outlet

March 31, 2020 – Yakima Herald – Republic

The opportunities provided by the two nonprofits became especially valuable as closures have been extended to recreation areas managed by state and national agencies.

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy’s Efforts Worthy of Public Support

February 11, 2020 – Yakima Herald – Republic

Yakima-area residents have long benefited from Cowiche Canyon Conservancy’s stewardship of the land.

 

The 501(c)(3) nonprofit, established in 1985, manages more than 5,000 acres and 30 miles of hiking trails northwest of Yakima and shares the wonders of the land — complete with breathtaking views — with tens of thousands of visitors each year. Besides intrepid hikers and bikers, the conservancy’s community outreach events draw students, families and awestruck individuals year-round for writing workshops, citizen science projects, lectures, special butterfly-related events and more.

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Connects Community With Nature

December 8, 2019 – Yakima Herald – Republic

The Cowiche Canyon Conservancy protects and manages more than 5,000 acres and 30 miles of hiking paths in the Yakima Valley.

 

On any given day, you might see high school students participating in the conservancy’s writing workshops wandering through Snow Mountain Ranch with journals in hand; parents and children soaking up sunlight and facts about the area’s ecology during free community nature walks; or volunteers pulling invasive weed species or restoring the well-traveled trails of the shrub-steppe.

War on Weeds: Battling Nature’s Super Villains – Noxious Weeds

July 8, 2019 – Yakima Herald – Republic

If life were a comic book, they’d be considered the super villains. Once introduced to an area, they become bent on world domination. They are oblivious to boundaries of land ownership, political jurisdiction or socioeconomic status, and they affect everybody.

Bees Play Vital Role in Wildflower Season

May 8, 2019 – Yakima Herald – Republic

Hikers enjoying another beautiful wildflower season in the Yakima Valley and beyond can thank bees for their valuable contributions.

A Natural Leader: Celisa Hopkins

May 3, 2019 – Yakima Herald – Republic Magazine

The trails of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy not only became my new adventure playground, they helped me feel that this was a place I could put down roots. CCC Executive Director Celisa Hopkins says the beauty of the trails is what first drew her in as well.

Music and Monarchs Event Set for Sept. 9

August 27, 2018 – Yakima Herald – Republic

Dozens of newly emerged butterflies will set out on their life’s journey at the annual Music and Monarchs Butterfly Release Party on Sept. 9 in Cowiche.

The Arts Scene: Cowiche Canyon Sparks Artists in the New Boxx Exhibit

June 28, 2018 – Yakima Herald-Republic

Inspired by the landscape of the Cowiche Canyon and other areas of the shrub-steppe managed by the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy, local artists have created their own visual interpretations that will be on display at the BOXX Gallery in Tieton beginning Saturday.

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Shrub-steppe art gallery Darcie Roberts
January 22, 2018 – Yakima-Herald Republic

Celisa Hopkins, who joined Cowiche Canyon Conservancy in 2014 as its development director, has been appointed executive director.