For immediate release: Monday, March 30, 2026
Walla Walla, WA – Washington Water Trust (WWT) will protect and enhance streamflows in the Walla Walla Basin with a recently awarded $28,940 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 Endangered Species Act-listed steelhead and bull trout, as well as spring Chinook. WWT also works to build stream resilience to drought through partnerships with local stakeholders.
“This grant will fuel outreach and project development in the Walla Walla Basin. We craft our restoration efforts around voluntary, market-based agreements with people, so building local relationships is critical,” said WWT Executive Director James Kraft. “The support of The Wildhorse Foundation is instrumental to growing our collaborative streamflow successes and developing new water conservation tools.”
The Touchet River
WWT has implemented fourteen restoration projects in the Walla Walla basin since 2001, keeping more than 423 million gallons of water flowing instream annually. In 2025, WWT also released a Walla Walla Basin Decision Support Tool to help water managers and restoration partners identify, prioritize, and synthesize water conservation opportunities on both sides of the state line. WWT looks forward to expanding the tool’s capabilities to highlight additional partner projects and offer new modules to quantify restoration success.
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 serves on the 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.
