Preserving this 38.5-acre property would protect a critical “piece of the puzzle” in the 1,000-acre Green River Natural Area. Excellent conditions exist at the site because channel processes are functioning and well-developed floodplain forests remain. For example, The Conservation Priorities: An Assessment of Freshwater Habitat for Puget Sound Salmon (Trust for Public Land 2001) considers the Middle Green River to be Priority Refugia Habitat, representing "…the best habitat of what remains in most Puget Sound basins". The property offers complex and varied habitat elements; complex reaches with logjams, forested bars and side channels, perennial streams (Burns Creek) and wetlands. Acquiring this land will promote ecological connectivity within the Natural Area and permit channel migration to continue forming pools and juvenile rearing areas. The site is important for Green River Fall Chinook, which spawn at high densities (e.g., 43 redds per mile, 1999-2004) in the vicinity of the property. Chinook recovery efforts rely on the protection of intact, productive habitats because these actions deliver reliable and lasting benefits. Other sensitive species associated with on-site riparian forests are: bald eagle, great blue heron, pileated woodpecker, and wood duck. As an added benefit, acquiring this property will help facilitate the implementation of the Lones Levee setback, which protrudes slightly into the property, on the adjacent western parcel.