The shrub steppe is a unique environment and home to many species of plants and animals. The contrasting scent of sweet sagebrush and dry dust mingle in the air, wafting over a land bursting with hidden life. Under the radiant sun, creatures stir and wake to forage, hunt, nest, and feed. Tough plants dominate the sandy soil, competing for valuable moisture and rare space. In ground between the wiry bushes, scrubby bunch grass spreads. Old forbs, dry and dead, cover the middle of each of the patches of tender green framed by shrubbery. Rustles in the sand-colored mass of stalks indicate rodents nestling down in snug burrows packed with soft bedding.

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KEEN has been stewarding, restoring, and educating about this fertile world of wildlife, specialized plants, rolling low hills, and harsh beauty for the last 20 years. We love this endangered habitat of ours, and we work hard to bring awareness and enjoyment of it to as many others as possible. Over the years we have celebrated the shrub-steppe with annual events, guided field trips with local experts, and more. 

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But KEEN’s most ambitious project, by far, has been the 16-year effort to restore and rejuvenate Helen McCabe Memorial State Park, just five miles south of Ellensburg. Our ultimate goal is to construct an interpretive center there, but in the meantime, we have focused on restoration and recreation improvements. This fundraiser will support construction of a picnic shelter, the children's outdoor classroom, and expanding our trail system. Help us improve the park today!