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 three Puget Trough freshwater natural area preserves (NAPs). These NAPs contain the highest quality freshwater wetlands and associated uplands remaining in the Puget Trough. Dailey Prairie contains the largest known population of the rare several-flowered sedge. The site also includes high quality freshwater wetlands, sphagnum bog communities and old-growth mountain hemlock and yellow cedar stands. A rare Hawk Moth resides there as well as numerous declining bird species. The preserve provides critical thermal cover for the at-risk Nooksack elk herd. Ink Blot includes one of the largest and least disturbed, high-quality, low-elevation, freshwater wetland and bog communities of its type remaining in Washington. Shumocher Creek 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.