Funding is being sought to purchase a 7.5 acre parcel on the Klickitat River that will eventually be transferred to either the Columbia Land Trust or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The property includes approximately six acres of floodplain and one acre of adjacent hillside. The property flanks a braided section of river with documented high levels of use by spawning salmon. Acquisition of this property will meet the goals of protecting high-priority functional habitats and preserving habitat forming processes. Channel complexity and riparian habitat in the lower 20 miles of the Klickitat River has been dramatically reduced from historical conditions, primarily due to the placement of fill materials during construction of the railroad and highway. The property includes wetlands, floodplain, and both mature and immature native riparian trees and shrubs. The property is situated in a short reach of the river where the highway and railroad grade are both on the same side of the river and are both set back from the river, allowing space for the floodplain to function. Despite its location within the floodplain, Klickitat County planners have said that the property could be developed. Approximately five acres of the property are zoned “urban center.” Development has already occurred at the same floodplain elevation, just upstream of the parcel.