LAND ACQUISITION COMPLETE - Summer 2011

  The three year process of grant application, negotiation and purchase with owner,

and finally the recording of deeds with the County is complete.  The Chehalis River

Basin Land Trust has become the owner (and steward) of 1,326 prime habitat acres

along the West, Middle and East Forks of the Hoquiam River.  

   These are very special lands of great significance for salmon restoration and

wetland quality.  They provide excellent habitat for fish, water-loving plants and birds. 

The adjacent uplands include established spruce forest interrupted by many sloughs

which respond to surging tides.  This wonderful diversity and miles of undeveloped 

shoreline will be protected forever!

   This project was made possible by a strong partnership with the Cascade Land Conservancy,

and funding provided by the State Salmon Recovery Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Protection Program and the Wildlife Forever Fund of Seattle.  The lands were

purchased from Rayonier Forest Resources and Green Diamond Resource Company.  The Salmon

Recovery Funding Board declared this project one of the best in the State for both 2009 and 2010.

  So now we begin the process of stewardship.  Again, a partnership is being forged.  We will provide students

of the Grays Harbor College Natural Resource Department the opportunity to conduce field monitoring and to collect data on the

area.  Such data will help us plan restoration projects if needed and other stewardship activities.

   Other possible partners are the Grays Harbor Audubon Society, the Sierra Club and a local fishing group.  Of course,

we will also be looking for help from our members; please contact the Land Trust by email if you are interested.

chehalislandtrust@yahoo.com 

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 THE HOQUIAM SURGE PLAIN PROJECT

THE FIRST STEPS OF STEWARDSHIP -- Spring 2011

   The Land Trust has just received a volunteer intern from Grays Harbor Community College.  A two-year program taught by Professor Todd Bates in the field of natural resources/forestry includes a 240 hour internship requirement.  Student Gary Peterson has chosen C.R.B.L.T. for his internship because the Chehalis basin was his stomping grounds as a youth living within a few miles from the Discovery Trail, exploring everything that crawled, jumped, grew, flew, or swam in these areas.  The internship hours will focus on the Hoquiam surge plain acquisition which is in the final stages of transfer.

The size of the acquisition, over 1,200 acres, will keep him very busy and provide many opportunities for his study and learning.

   Gary says he recognizes the importance of his watershed and the diversification it holds not only for habitat, but for future generations to enjoy as well. Gary’s objectives will be to perform road assessments, establish proper road maintenance and abandonment plans, evaluate water crossings, do invasive species assessments, and develop an invasive species control plan. 

   The study and time donated by Gary is extremely important to the CRBLT and will provide a strong base for our stewardship of these lands and waterways.  Far and away, the Hoquiam Surge-Plain Project is the largest CRBLT has ever tackled. It would not have been possible without the involvement of the partners mentioned above and the encouragement of officials and citizens in Grays Harbor County and throughout the basin. All can share in the benefits this protected land brings to people, fish and wildlife and the continued flood protection it provides to the downstream City of Hoquiam.

  The permanent protection of 1326 acres of surge-plain wetlands and 10 miles of shoreline along the Hoquiam River is nearing completion! Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC), Rayonier Forest Resource and Green Diamond Resource Companies are working out the final details of this complex acquisition project.
   Funding has come through grants from Washington's Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFBd) and the USFWS Coastal Wetlands Protection Program, plus a loan from Wildlife Forever Fund.

   This acquisition represents about 2/3 of the natural surge-plain in the Hoquiam River basin. In very good ecological condition, it supports a great variety of birds and other wildlife in the mature spruce/alder forests, wetlands of several types and sloughs extending out from the river like giant spider webs. This same intricate watery system, raised and lowered with the tides, is critical for all the salmonids swimming up the river from Grays Harbor. In fact, its importance to present and future salmon

runs in the lower Chehalis Basin.  This project achieved WOW! status with SRFBd in both acquisition years.

   The Pacific Science Center provided the stage for the 11^th Annual Luncheon of the Wildlife Forever and the Educational Legacy Funds, held on Wednesday, June 29^th. Guests numbered about 160, representing non-profit organizations in western Washington involved in land conservation and youth and community education. The WFF/ELF Board holds this event each spring to thank the organizations it has supported for all their hard work and ongoing dedication to their missions and goals. 

   Wildlife Forever Fund (WFF) has given financial assistance to many land trusts in western Washington, including Chehalis River Basin Land Trust. For CRBLT, this support has come in the form of monies to help purchase the Hoquiam Surge-Plain lands, supplementing grants from the Washington's Salmon Recovery Fund and the USFWS Coastal Wetlands Protection Program.

   CRBLT joins the many groups grateful for WFF’s commitment to the preservation and protection of wildlife habitat in western Washington. Thanks to the funders’ generosity, thousands of acres of forests, streams and wetlands remain healthy homes for our native wildlife, fish and plants.