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 25 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 like Get Intimate with the Shrub-Steppe, guided field trips with local experts, habitat restoration projects, and immersive educational programs.

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But KEEN’s most ambitious and transformational project is the restoration and rejuvenation of Helen McCabe Memorial State Park, just five miles south of Ellensburg. Our ultimate goal is to establish the Yakima Canyon Interpretive Center (YCIC) at this site—a gateway to the oldest state scenic byway in Washington. In the meantime, KEEN has been hard at work improving habitat, expanding outdoor education, and increasing community engagement.

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Originally a gravel borrow pit, Helen McCabe Park was largely overlooked until KEEN recognized its potential in 2004. We secured a 30-year lease with Washington State Parks and began restoring native plant communities, building trails, and using the land for outdoor learning and public recreation. Today, the park serves as the heart of our programs and outreach across Kittitas County. We are now negotiating an extended 50-year lease to ensure long-term management and restoration of this ecologically vital site.

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Located at the ‘bottom of the bathtub’ of the Yakima River Valley, Helen McCabe Park provides critical ecosystem services. The land supports aquifer recharge, wetlands, riparian zones, and re-established native plant habitats. The park's proximity to Ellensburg makes it an ideal setting for connecting the community with nature, hands-on environmental education, and real-world restoration science.

KEEN is actively restoring ecosystem functionality through floodplain roughening, invasive species removal, native planting, and community-led stewardship. We believe that functioning ecosystems offer not only ecological but social and cultural benefits—and that education and public access to these spaces are key to long-term conservation.

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In 2024, we reached the 30% design milestone for the Yakima Canyon Interpretive Center. With support from regional funders and the Yakama Nation, we are moving toward the 90% design phase in 2025. This includes geotechnical assessments, interpretive planning, trail development, and the future construction of summer camp facilities. The Interpretive Center will become a regional hub for nature-based education, cultural connection, and scientific learning for generations to come.

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While we plan for the future, KEEN continues to expand meaningful experiences on the land now. Our Pond to Pines nature day camps serve hundreds of local children every summer with hands-on science and outdoor exploration. In 2025, we’re launching Wild Horizons Adventure Camp, a 6-week program for teens that will include local hiking, swimming, climbing, field ecology, and community service. Programs like these, paired with our school-year naturalist field trips and outdoor classrooms, foster curiosity, confidence, and stewardship in youth.

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We believe that areas like Helen McCabe Memorial State Park—right on the edge of town—are critical stepping stones between people and the wild. They offer accessible, restorative green space and provide opportunities for community members to reflect, learn, and participate in something larger than themselves.

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Although the park itself is modest in size, its impact is enormous. With over 1.5 million travelers passing by annually, the potential for engagement is vast. Through thoughtful design, environmental restoration, and inclusive programming, KEEN aims to create a space that not only supports ecological health but also inspires environmental action across Central Washington and beyond.

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None of this work would be possible without the generous support of our donors and partners. Foundations like the Poore Family Charitable Trust, as well as local businesses, public agencies, and individual champions of conservation, are helping us turn vision into reality. These contributions fund everything from trail building to scholarships for underserved youth.

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We invite you to join us. Whether it’s through financial support, becoming a KEEN member, volunteering for a habitat work party, serving on a planning committee, or helping lead a youth program—your involvement makes a real difference. Together, we can protect and restore this special place while deepening our community’s connection to the land.