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Land Trust Adds 57 Acres of Nisqually River Shoreline |
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Nisqually River, seen from our new 23-acre Yelm Shoreline acquisition, which protected over a thousand feet of shoreline. |
The Land Trust recently completed two major purchases on the mainstem Nisqually River, permanently protecting 57 acres and one-half mile of salmon-producing shoreline. With these purchases, 75 percent of the Nisqually River shoreline, or 63 of 84 miles, is now held in permanent conservation status by the Land Trust and its many watershed partners. Both properties provide spawning grounds for threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead trout as well as chum salmon and are ranked highest priority for permanent protection in the Nisqually Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan. The smaller of the two properties, totaling 23 acres and .2 miles of shoreline, directly adjoins the Land Trust’s Yelm Shoreline Management Unit, bringing the total unit to 195 acres and 1.5 miles of continuously protected shoreline and adding substantially to protection of its overall conservation values. Over the past five years, these values have been compromised by a wide range of activities on the property, including development, livestock grazing, dumping, off-road-vehicle use, and vehicle abandonment. Acquisition will eliminate or significantly curtail these activities and also provide an opportunity to restore the property to full ecological health. The Land Trust purchased the property with its own funds to take advantage of a short-sale opportunity. The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board subsequently awarded the Land Trust a grant to recover some 80 percent of that cost, and Thurston County Conservation Futures will provide the remainder. |
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A view of the Nisqually River and Tanwax Creek confluence from our new Powell Creek Property. This 34-acre acquisition protected one-third mile of Nisqually River shoreline. |
The second property, totaling 34 acres and .33 miles of shoreline, is located in Pierce County and has been incorporated into the Land Trust’s 457-acre Powell Creek Management Unit. The property is zoned for residential development but contains superior salmon habitat, including the entirety of Tanwax Creek’s confluence with the Nisqually River. The property was purchased with state Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration funds and a donation from the Nisqually Indian Tribe. |
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