Most rangeland in Adams Conservation District's region is dry shrubsteppe habitat with large remote pastures. Here, providing enough water for cattle while protecting streams and water quality, can be challenging.
Enter Adams CD, which is helping local land managers install wells, pipelines, and solar watering facilities to provide off-stream water access to their cattle. These watering projects also allow producers to use more pastures— increasing food for livestock and reducing over-grazing, which can damage plant health and wildlife habitat.
Generations of farming along Hangman Creek have faced erosion and water quality challenges. Through a partnership between the Spokane and Pine Creek Conservation Districts and the Washington State Department of Ecology, local landowners are restoring natural stream channels, planting native vegetation, and stabilizing creek banks, all while keeping working lands productive. Together, they’re proving that voluntary conservation benefits both farms and fish.
Generations of farming along Hangman Creek have faced erosion and water quality challenges. Through a partnership between the Spokane and Pine Creek Conservation Districts and the Washington State Department of Ecology, local landowners are restoring natural stream channels, planting native vegetation, and stabilizing creek banks, all while keeping working lands productive. Together, they’re proving that voluntary conservation benefits both farms and fish.
Established in the 1890s and donated to Washington State University in 2020, Vetter Farm is jointly managed by the Stevens County Conservation District and WSU Extension. This 158-acre property serves as a working demonstration farm, supporting soil health research, agroforestry trials, and educational field days that bring local producers together to share ideas and test new approaches.
