This project is a component of a much larger levee reconfiguration project in the Gap to Gap reach of the Yakima River. With the expenditures under this grant, Yakima County acquired 5 properties (totaling 97 acres) necessary to allow future setback of the Diking Improvement District #1 Levee along the Yakima River downstream of SR24. The properties contain both riparian and upland areas located in the floodplain of the Yakima River. This project protects floodplains adjacent to the Yakima River in order to facilitate their future restoration and reconnection with the river. Accessibility of floodplains will result in increased ecosystem function to benefit priority species and the habitat necessary to support them. Any structures located on the properties will be removed at a later time outside of this grant. This agreement completed the majority of the acquisition tasks for the Gap to Gap Ecosystem Restoration project. It was critical that this project be performed in accordance with Federal requirements for property acquisition associated with capital projects. That we were able to do this paved the way for related actions to actually implement the restoration project through cooperative agreements with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and their Section 1135 Ecosystem Restoration Authority, as well as receiving a Floodplains by Design grant from the Department of Ecology to implement actions beyond the financial limits of the Corps Authority. Together, those two projects total over $23 million, with $3.3 million of that total being local match, much of which will be in the form of property acquired under this grant. For RCO, and to some extent Ecology, this type of a capital project which has a broad suite of habitat, recreational, and flood hazard reduction benefits was outside of their standard practices both in terms of the type of project that was funded, and in the financial - cooperation across the funding requirements of two state agencies - and procedural requirements - such as the federal requirements for relocation of parties affected by the capital project. Yakima County and its 17 cooperating public and private agencies or organizations recognizes that this was a significant challenge for RCO specifically and wishes to thank RCO, and its director Kaleen Cottingham, for its willingness to work with us in completing this grant. A special thanks goes to Kay Caromile for her unflagging support and overall stick-to-it-iveness and flexibility in shepherding this project to completion.