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 is a project to acquire privately owned properties for inclusion in the Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA). Mount Si NRCA includes outstanding geologic features, old-growth forest, wildflower communities, and habitat for mountain goat, peregrine falcon, bears, coyotes, cougar, bobcat, deer, elk and a multitude of birds and small mammals. Located just thirty miles east of Seattle, Mount Si NRCA is an extremely popular destination providing numerous outdoor recreation opportunities. Properties proposed for acquisition are threatened with conversion to incompatible and ecologically irreversible uses such as mining and residential and commercial development. Proposed additions to the NRCA will help connect the NRCA to other natural areas in the Cascade Mountains, including the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, and the Evergreen Forest Trust land.