Camp Sealth Conservation Easement, Vashon Island

Our Work / Forestland Preservation / Camp Sealth Conservation Easement, Vashon Island

Category Overview

Forestland Preservation grants help improve opportunities for forest management activity and improve the long-term growth and harvest of timber. These projects help protect many different kinds of forests, including, but not limited to, large-scale industrial forests, small private landowner forests, community forests, and tribally - or publicly-owned and managed forests.

Project Highlights

King county will use this grant to purchase and permanently extinguish 25 development rights on about 173 acres of forestland at Camp Sealth, through the purchase of a conservation easement. The site is forested with Douglas fir with some stands of mixed red cedar, hemlock, and hardwoods. Future timber harvests will focus on forest health, control of laminated root rot, and generation of supplemental revenue. In addition, this project will create significant public trail connections across Vashon-Maury Island, a rural unincorporated area of King County. The primary benefit of this project is the preservation of working forestland.

Quick Facts

WWRP Applicant: King County Parks & Rec Category: Forestland Preservation WWRP Grant: $500,000.00 Applicant Match: $3,085,000.00 Project Type: Acquisition County: King Legislative District: 34 Status: Active RCO Project # 20-1676

Location Details

Vashon Island is accessible only by ferry or private boat. A car and passenger ferry operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation is available from West Seattle [Fauntleroy (West Seattle) / Vashon], the Kistap Peninsula (Southworth / Vashon) or Tacoma (Pt. Defiance / Tahlequah). Current round trip ferry fare traveling to Vashon is about $18 for a car and driver and $5 for a passenger, though rates can fluctuate depending on the season. Ferry service back to the mainland is always free. Be sure to plan extra time when traveling by ferry, especially when arriving during peak travel times.

What is the WWRP

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) is a state grant program that creates and conserves local and state parks, wildlife habitat and working farms. The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office administers WWRP grants, and the legislature funds the program.