Category Overview
Urban Wildlife Habitat projects fund close-to-home places to play and explore nature. As our urban areas are increasingly expanding and densifying, these grants protect important fish and wildlife habitat within five miles of densely populated areas, creating green refuges that help keep our ecosystems healthy and provide places to enjoy nature right in our backyards.
Project Highlights
This project is to acquire properties for inclusion in the Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area. Mount Si is a prominent scenic landscape along I-90 and is an important part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway, in addition to being an extremely popular conservation area due to its close proximity (25 minutes) to the Seattle urban area. Primary features include critical wildlife habitat and travel connectors, scenic views and hiking trails. A diversity of wildlife including mountain goats, bears, coyotes, cougar, bobcat, deer, elk and a variety of birds and small mammals inhabit the site. Properties proposed for acquisition are threatened with conversion to incompatible and ecologically irreversible uses such as mining, residential and commercial uses. Proposed additions to the NRCA will help connect the NRCA and other natural areas in the Cascade Range, including the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.