As Hanford Reach turns 25, Murray says preservation more critical than ever

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Hanford Reach near Tri-Cities celebrates 25 years as a preserved national monument this year.

Grassroots advocates and federal leaders emphasize continued need for protection.

Monument supports 700 plant species, 250 birds and key salmon and trout habitats.

Hanford Reach National Monument — the Mid-Columbia’s beloved horseshoe-shaped wilderness area featuring towering bluffs, rolling sand dunes and pristine shrubsteppe vistas — is celebrating its silver jubilee this year.

Since June 2000, some 196,000 acres of untouched wilderness outside the Hanford nuclear site has been preserved for its cultural, ecological and historical significance. The monument was originally formed by way of a decree by the Clinton Administration through th