Crucial stretch of Birch Creek conserved in land conveyance

The Western Rivers Conservancy, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Bonneville Power Administration completed a 100-acre land transfer of Birch Creek Ranch that lays the groundwork for restoration of critical salmon and steelhead habitat in the Umatilla River Basin and re-connecting the Umatilla with ancestral homelands. Located southwest of Pendleton, the ranch includes more than a mile of Birch Creek, a vital tributary to the Umatilla River and the largest producer of Endangered Species Act-listed mid-Columbia summer steelhead in the Umatilla Basin.