Category Overview
As Washington continues to grow, many of our most beautiful areas are threatened with development. In addition, native ecosystems are receding, and important wildlife habitat and migratory pathways are being cut off. The Natural Areas category helps combat this by funding projects that protect wildlife habitat and rare geological features while also preserving public access for back-country recreation.
Project Highlights
This proposal is for the acquisition of high priority properties within two Puget Trough freshwater natural area preserves (NAPs). These NAPs contain the highest quality freshwater wetlands and associated uplands remaining in the Southern Puget Trough. Ink Blot (325 acres) is one of the largest and least disturbed, high-quality, low-elevation, freshwater wetland and bog communities remaining in Washington. Shumocher Creek (493 acres) is an intact, complex, high quality stream and wetland system. It includes a low elevation lodgepole pine bog forest along with high quality stream and riparian systems.