For release: September 16, 2026
Contact: Cheyne Mayer
Lead Entity Coordinator
Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board
cmayer@ybfwrb.org / (509) 654-7056
Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board Approves $10 Million in Grants for Fish Habitat Restoration
The Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board (Recovery Board) is pleased to announce that the state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) has approved the $10,318,435 project list submitted by the Recovery Board for fish habitat protection and restoration projects in the Yakima Basin. $1,332,435 of these projects will be funded immediately, while another $8,986,000 await approval by the state legislature. These 9 projects are a big step forward in our ongoing work to ensure salmon, steelhead, and bull trout all can thrive in the Yakima Basin!
The SRFB has awarded grants for salmon recovery every year since 1999. This year, there were two additional funding programs, one focused on restoration of riparian areas (the land adjacent to streams and rivers), and another for large projects between $1-7 million.
“The extra funding programs, if fully funded by the legislature this year, will make big, targeted investments in the future of our our watershed,” said Alex Conley, Recovery Board Executive Director. “One of our Targeted Investment proposals, the Kittitas Floodplain Restoration Project, is ranked #1 in the state and is a perfect example of a multi-benefit project that achieves salmon recovery, flood protection, and recreation goals.”
The local grant review process is coordinated by the Recovery Board, which serves as the “Lead Entity” for the Yakima Basin. Lead Entities are community-based salmon recovery organizations working across the state of Washington to protect and restore fish species that are deemed to be threatened or endangered by the federal government under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
While each of the 26 Lead Entities in the state operate somewhat differently, they all partner with community leaders and technical experts to review project proposals. These volunteers serve on committees and offer their combined local knowledge to evaluate projects based on both scientific merit and socio-economic considerations.
In the Yakima Basin, our technical review committee brings local experts together to evaluate and prioritize projects based on how well they implement the Recovery Board’s regional recovery plans for steelhead and bull trout, species which are considered threatened under the ESA. Our citizen committee is set up to have equal representation from all three of the Basin’s counties (Benton, Kittitas, and Yakima) and the Yakama Nation.
“Our volunteer committees are really what makes this grant program special,” said Cheyne. “Salmon recovery in Washington has been community-led since 1999, thanks to some great foresight from our legislators. They recognized that local communities know best what needs to be done to recover salmon, and so they set things up for most of the key strategic decisions to be made at the local level. Our committees are how we do that—we get perspectives from all different segments of the community when evaluating projects and deciding which to fund.”
This year, up to $7.5 million was approved for 4 projects in Kittitas County and $2.8 million for 5 projects in Yakima County. Projects will restore in-stream and streambank habitat (6 projects), acquire property for restoration (1 project), develop designs for future projects (1 project), and assess restoration needs for future projects (1 project).
The full project list can be found on the Recovery Board website at https://ybfwrb.org/2026-srfb-grant-round/, including links to in-depth project descriptions on the state’s PRISM database. To reach project contacts or learn more about our grant program, please contact Cheyne Mayer, Recovery Board Lead Entity Coordinator, at cmayer@ybfwrb.org or (509) 654-7056.
FOR A STATE PRESS RELEASE WITH ADDITONAL PROJECT-SPECIFIC INFO, SEE: https://rco.wa.gov/about-us/news/.