For immediate release: Friday, April 10, 2025
Walla Walla, WA – Washington Water Trust (WWT) will protect and enhance streamflows in the Walla Walla basin with a recently awarded $17,800 grant from The Wildhorse Foundation. WWT restores water to local rivers and streams including the Touchet River, Mill Creek, and the Walla Walla River. Their team prioritizes projects that improve late-summer flows for fish including steelhead, bull trout, and spring Chinook. WWT also works to build watershed resilience to climate change impacts.
“This grant will fuel our outreach and engagement in the Walla Walla Basin. We craft our restoration projects around voluntary, market-based agreements with local people, so connecting and building relationships is critical,” said WWT Executive Director James Kraft. “The support of The Wildhorse Foundation is deeply appreciated as we look to grow our streamflow restoration efforts with local partners.”
The Walla Walla River.
WWT has implemented sixteen restoration projects in the Walla Walla basin since 2001, protecting more than 358 million gallons of water instream permanently. In 2024, they developed the first restoration projects protecting water instream for fish across the Oregon-Washington border.
Each year, the Wildhorse Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofit, government, and Tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people. Also eligible for funding are Tribal government agencies or Indian charitable organizations with their base of operations within Oregon, as well as national or regional Indian organizations.
The Wildhorse Foundation has awarded a total of over $18 million in grant funding since its establishment in 2001. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis with the deadlines being January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. For more information, visit the Foundation’s website at www.TheWildhorseFoundation.com.
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ABOUT WASHINGTON WATER TRUST: Washington Water Trust (WWT) is a nonprofit that restores and protects rivers and streams from the San Juans to Walla Walla. WWT has worked for more than 25 years to put water back instream when and where it is most needed to benefit fish, farms, and communities. WWT serves on the Walla Walla Basin Advisory Committee for the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Strategy, a multi-stakeholder planning effort to identify and select projects that restore flows for fish and meet other regional water objectives.
ABOUT THE WILDHORSE FOUNDATION: The fund reflects the commitment of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to take a proactive, positive role in the well-being of the community. Funds, derived from a percentage of revenues from Wildhorse Resort & Casino, are managed and distributed by a Board of Directors comprised of community leaders and representatives of the CTUIR.
