Explore Barn Beach Reserve

Barn Beach Reserve is located adjacent to the Wenatchee River and Waterfront Park in downtown Leavenworth. It supports a variety of native plants, animals, and natural communities, but also includes a number of invasive plant species.

One of Barn Beach Trust’s goals for the Reserve is to conserve and restore natural areas within this 9-acre property, which includes a black cottonwood riparian area, grassy meadow areas, a steep hillside, and ponderosa pine forested areas. Portions of the property, including the Lower Meadow, were used in the mid-20th century for the purposes of the Bent River Arabian Horse Ranch, which included a horse pasture and barns. Bordering this Lower Meadow is the former site of the Pea Vine Railroad that was used in the early 20th century to take logs to the Lamb Davis Lumber Mill above what is now Blackbird Island.

The Trust will be successful in reaching this conservation and restoration goal when a comprehensive site restoration and redevelopment plan is completed in spring, 2009, and implemented in phases thereafter. The plan is intended to include restoration, monitoring, managing, and continuing to learn about biodiversity and effective land restoration and stewardship practices.

At the Barn Beach Reserve Lower Meadow site, the Trust is working to restore a meadow and hillside that provides habitat for birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and other life forms. Photo points set up on the Reserve are being used to document restoration by monitoring changes in the vegetation in the meadow and on the hillside.

Explore the photos taken over time at Barn Beach Reserve to see how citizens are helping to generate scientific data.