Floodplain Restoration at Halon Hop Ranch
Background
Halon Estates, is a 92-acre farm located in Sunnyside, purchased by Devon and Haley Newhouse in 2019. The floodplain restoration project had its beginnings under its previous owner, Horse Heaven River Ranch LLC, and encompasses approximately 12 acres with .4 miles of river frontage,. Beginning in 2013. Mid-Columbia Fisheries worked with Horse Heaven River Ranch to plant 2,450 native trees and shrubs on 10 acres of Yakima River riparian area and floodplain.
Restoration and Education
Mid-Columbia Fisheries also partnered with the Yakima Basin Environmental Education Program (YBEEP) to give Sunnyside & Granger students the opportunity to learn about restoration. Sunnyside & Granger 5th and 6th grade students visited Horse Heaven River Ranch to learn about water quality in the Yakima River, release the salmon they've been raising in their classrooms, learn about pre-project vegetation monitoring and help pot bareroot black cottonwood, woods rose, golden currant and red-osier dogwood. The new owners intend to continue on with the work already implemented.
KNDU also aired a segment on the project. It can be found here.
Daily Sun News did a great article on the project. It can be found here.
Valley Farmer magazine, a supplement to the Daily Sun News, also featured the project in their Harvest Edition in October 2013.
