Wenas, Washington — Where Farms Meet Shrub-Steppe

Wenas occupies the valley northwest of Selah where irrigated agriculture begins giving way to drier foothills and shrub-steppe.

Ranches, farms and homes use the valley floor. Surrounding ridges open into large stretches of wildlife habitat and public land.

That transition has made Wenas especially familiar to birders and naturalists. Creek corridors, sage country and higher forested ground occur within relatively short distances, supporting an unusually varied mix of species.

People and wildlife use the same landscape rather than occupying separate versions of it.

Wenas is still working rural country. Its ecological richness comes partly from being a meeting place between habitats—and between farms and the open country beyond them.