Category Overview
Conserving land along our waterways protects important habitat and helps keep our rivers healthy, clean, and more resilient to drought. Riparian Protection projects conserve and restore fresh and saltwater habitat while protecting fish habitat. In doing so, the grants help provide our families, farms, and fisheries with clean water across the state.
Project Highlights
Forterra proposes to facilitate the acquisition of the unique 40-acre Woods Lake property in Snohomish County near Monroe in partnership with the Tulalip Tribes. Woods Lake is a pristine 21-acre freshwater lake surrounded by a shrub-scrub forested wetland featuring bog/fen related species and mixed upland forest. The property is directly adjacent to State forestlands and acquisition of this site would extend protection to 93% of the riparian shoreline. Forterra will work with the landowner, Tulalip Tribes, RCO, and Snohomish County to acquire and permanently protect all 40 acres in fee. The property will be held by the Tulalip Tribes which has the joint goal of protecting Woods Lake habitat for the wildlife and species that depend on it and enabling cultural access and traditional use for people to connect with the land and as they have done since time immemorial. Tulalip Tribes will permit some limited public and educational access that minimizes any impacts on the rare species and their cultural use. Freshwater bogs are considered imperiled by the Washington Natural Heritage Program and many have been eliminated by various forms of development. The Woods Lake Property supports many species unique to freshwater bogs including healthy, dense stands of bog labrador tea, western bog laurel, bog cranberry and round-leaf sundew. WWRP and Conservation Futures funding will protect this gem in in its natural state for wildlife and cultural use forever.