By MartÃn Bilbao
The Olympian
A wild, salmon-producing shoreline on the Nisqually River will now be protected after a local land trust acquired the area.
The Nisqually Land Trust, a non-profit conservancy organization, announced the $1.2 million purchase last week. It covers 174 acres of floodplain and upland forest, including habitat for five species of native Pacific salmon, in the river’s Wilcox Reach along the Pierce County side of the river, according to a news release.
“This property is the river’s crown jewel,” said the trust’s lands committee chair George Walter in the release. “In terms of salmon recovery, there’s nothing else quite like it.”
The area includes habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, which are both listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the release read.
The property was zoned for up to 34 home sites but it remains undeveloped. The intact habitat makes the area special, Walter said.
“We can’t afford to lose a single foot of it, and it’s why we worked so hard to protect it,” Walter said.
Nearly $1 million in funding for the purchase was acquired through the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration program.
Funding for this program is awarded annually and comes from state general obligation bonds and the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the program website.
The remaining amount came from grants awarded through the Streamflow Protection program, which is administered by the state’s Department of Ecology, the release read.
The Western Rivers Conservancy supported the project by providing legal and transactional expertise. Meanwhile, Wilcox Farms, which adjoins the property, helped resolve access issues that stalled the transaction for years.
The Nisqually Land Trust began in 1989 and is guided by the Nisqually Watershed Stewardship Plan. The Nisqually River Council developed the plan in 1985, according to the organization’s website.
