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
The Department of Natural Resources will use this grant to purchase about 191.5 acres within the Stavis Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA) located in Kitsap County. This project will fill important gaps in a large forested landscape that supports wildlife near urban areas; protect forests along the main stem of Stavis and Harding Creek which provide spawning and rearing habitat for fall Chum and Coho salmon; protect a pocket estuary on the Hood Canal and upland forest near Stavis Bay; and protect about 1,600 feet of Hood Canal shoreline. This project provides opportunities for low-impact public use, recreation, environmental education and scientific research.