For years, erosion and runoff along Hangman Creek and Little Hangman Creek have damaged farmland and degraded habitat. Now, farmers are partnering with the Spokane Conservation District (SCD), Pine Creek Conservation District (PCCD), and the Washington State Department of Ecology through the Hangman Creek Riparian Restoration and Conservation Program to change that story. The program provides technical assistance and financial incentives to help landowners voluntarily restore creeks, reduce erosion, and improve water quality.
Generational grower John Heaton worked with SCD and partners to reshape a straightened stretch of Little Hangman Creek into natural bends and plant hundreds of trees along the banks. When spring floods came, the restored channel held firm, protecting fields while improving habitat for fish and wildlife.
With projects like this, farmers and their conservation district partners are showing that collaboration works. Through voluntary conservation, they’re building a more resilient future for the Hangman Creek watershed, one where healthy water and productive farmland flow together.
In an arid landscape dominated by dryland grain production and rangeland, this pilot focuses on reducing soil loss, improving water availability, and supporting habitat health. By tracking conservation practices and applying watershed tools, the work helps partners better understand how voluntary conservation supports resilient working lands under changing conditions.
In a working lands landscape shaped by dryland farming, grazing, and irrigated agriculture, this pilot focuses on reducing erosion, keeping soil on the land, and improving stream and habitat conditions. By tracking conservation practices and applying watershed tools, the work helps partners better understand how voluntary conservation supports resilient farms and healthy watersheds.
Within a productive agricultural landscape shaped by dairy and crop production, this pilot focuses on improving water quality, managing nutrients, and reducing flood risks. Monitoring and conservation tracking help partners understand how voluntary conservation supports both farm viability and long-term watershed health.
