Land Trust to conserve key property near Lyre River

Published 5:12 pm Wednesday, December 3, 2014

A 280-acre estuary ecosystem ecologists say is important to several salmon species and wildlife will be permanently conserved, thanks to a recent purchase by North Olympic Land Trust.

The property abuts the Lyre River on the Strait of Juan de Fuca about 20 miles west of Port Angeles. The property features an estuary at the mouth of the Lyre River, streams, wetlands, tidelands, kelp beds and bluff-backed beaches, and includes a large upland area with a trees at various ages of growth.

“The Land Trust has been working with community partners for years to conserve this property,” Sequim’s Karen Westwood, North Olympic Land Trust Board president, said.

“This is the largest land protection project in the Land Trust’s almost 25-year history and will be a terrific place for the community to enjoy local forests and shoreline,” she said.

The Land Trust plans to open the property to the public by mid-2015. Visitors will be able to park about a mile from the beach and walk in from there. Visitors can enjoy day-use activities such as birdwatching, wildlife viewing, surfing, picnicking and beach walking. The area will be closed to all motor vehicles.

The Land Trust, an organization dedicated to “the conservation of open spaces, local food, local resources, healthy watersheds and recreational opportunities,” joined local partners to buy the property, including grants from the state’s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration fund, Marine Shoreline Protection fund and Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program.

Other partners include the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity, the Puget Sound Partnership, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Makah Nation.

The previous land owner also has provided a donation to pay for ongoing stewardship of the property, Land Trust officials said.

This project was ranked eighth among regional large-scale capital projects for 2013-2015 Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration funding by the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council — a ranking based on impact to salmon recovery, project readiness and how projects advance Puget Sound Action Agenda targets.

Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director, said the property purchase is a win “not only for the community, but also for the mission of the Land Trust: conservation of open spaces, local food, local resources, healthy watersheds and recreational opportunities.”

The long-term goal of the Land Trust, he said, is to conserve lands that sustain the economic and ecological vitality of the communities of Clallam County.

The Lyre property includes the 3,000th acre that the Land Trust has conserved in Clallam County. The property joins other areas permanently conserved by the Land Trust through ownership, including properties on Elk Creek, Siebert Creek and the Pysht River. The Land Trust also conserves land through voluntary conservation easements with private landowners. These agreements are in place on properties across the county, from the Bogachiel River to the Miller Peninsula.

This purchase pushes the value of total land conservation by the Land Trust to more than $14 million since 2007.

The Land Trust also added a new logo — see story here.

For more information about the North Olympic Land Trust, visit www.northolympiclandtrust.org or call the office at 417-1815.