The Kittitas Natural History Center project has long been a dream of KEEN's founders. Several years ago, KEEN signed a 30-year lease with State Parks to develop a center at Helen McCabe State Park (see images to the right).
Helen McCabe State Park is an undeveloped park located at the gateway to the Yakima Canyon Scenic Byway (SR 821) just 2 miles south of Ellensburg. Named as a memorial to a professor of recreation at Central Washington University, the park contains many wonderful outdoor recreation and education opportunities. Bordered on the south by Cherry Creek and on the north by Thrall Road, the 64 acre park is home to a number of impressive Ponderosa Pine trees, an 8 acre stocked pond, and a small patch of prickly pear cactus.
Over the past several years KEEN, the Kittitas County Field and Stream Club, WSU Extension and other community groups have been investing in habitat restoration efforts on the site. A portion of the park was seeded with native grasses last year, nearly 200 ponderosa pine seedlings were planted this spring, and KEEN recently received a grant to plant native forbes this fall.
|
![]()
|
|
Stay tuned for some exciting new information about the park and the center plans! Grants are in the works - but we don't want to jinx them by talking about it too soon!
|
|
|
|
