The Nine-Mile Ranch Riparian Project will have a threefold benefit for salmon recovery. First, the project will reestablish a currently treeless, 90-foot riparian buffer on both sides of the Walla Walla River using NRCS and WDFW buffer establishment techniques. The land has been used as rangeland, and cattle currently have access to the channel and have removed nearly all willows growing on gravel bars beneath 10-foot vertical banks. The project entails installation of willow, red osier dogwood, ponderosa pine, and black cottonwood, and it will complete livestock exclusion with off-site watering facilities. Second, the entire area is highly visible from Highway 12 and will provide an excellent demonstration site for other large landowners. WWCD intends to develop an interpretive area, with "before" photos and signs explaining the project and local salmon recovery efforts. Third, this project has potential to be the first step in 25 miles of riparian restoration, ending in the Wallula Wildlife Habitat Management Unit and the Columbia River.