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
The Nisqually Land Trust will use this grant to buy 184 acres that includes 1 mile of shoreline and 34 acres of forest at the Wilcox reach of the Nisqually River, near Eatonville. The Wilcox reach provides spawning and rearing habitat for all five Nisqually Pacific salmon species. The land, which is one of the last large undeveloped Nisqually shoreline properties, is forested, with steep slopes leading to the floodplain, and zoned for development of 40 homes. Acquisition would prevent habitat degradation from logging, development, livestock grazing, off-road vehicle use, and loss of shoreline vegetation. It also would connect two substantial blocks of conserved Nisqually shoreline totaling 22.8 shoreline miles and 1,385 acres. The Nisqually Land Trust will contribute $711,000 in cash and a grant from the state Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration program.