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Strategic Goals:
1.
Protect Marine Shorelines & Estuaries
2.
Protect Peninsula Riparian Areas & Wetlands
3.
Protect Riparian & Prairie Habitat in the Black
River and Scatter Creek Watersheds
4.
Protect Oak Woodlands & Prairie Habitat
Goal
#1: Protect
Marine Shorelines & Estuaries
More
than any other aspect of our natural environment, the
marine shorelines and estuaries of Southern Puget Sound define the identity of this region.
The tidal, sheltered waters of estuaries harbor unique
communities of plants and animals, specially adapted for
life at the margin of the sea. The osprey, great blue
heron and Chinook salmon are but a few of the thousands
of species that rely on coastal estuarine and marine
ecosystems to live, feed and reproduce.
What
is an estuary?
An
estuary is when freshwater streams and rivers meet salt
water and both systems mix together creating a very
nutrient rich ecosystem. Estuaries are one of the most
productive ecosystems on earth so it is important to
protect them. Due to pollution and unmanaged growth more
than 70 percent of
Puget Sound
’s estuaries are no longer functional. The loss of
working estuaries negatively impacts
Puget Sound
as a whole. This makes protecting the remaining healthy
estuaries even more important.
Goal
#2: Protect
Peninsula Riparian Areas & Wetlands
The
complex system of wetlands and riparian corridors found
throughout the peninsulas of north Thurston
County
are critical to the overall health of our natural
environment. In addition to providing habitat and
spawning grounds for birds and fish, wetlands control
pollution and flooding, and recharge the ground waters
we depend on for household and commercial uses.
The
benefits of wetlands are largely overlooked. Often seen
as a nuisance, many
wetlands in the southern Puget Sound region have been
diked, converted into agricultural use,
filled, or drained. As a result, this immensely valuable
resource has dwindled at an alarming rate. While
some regulations do exist that put restrictions on the conversion of
wetlands, the need to conserve this important ecosystem
is greater than ever.
Riparian
areas are lands buffering waterways. The word riparian
derives from the Latin word ‘ripa’ which literally
means river bank.
Riparian habitats support an array of wildlife including
mammals, fish, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians.
Specifically protecting riparian areas may give fish and
wildlife the greatest benefits while focusing on
protecting the least area of land.
Goal
#3: Protect
Riparian & Prairie Habitat in the Black
River and Scatter Creek Watersheds
The
Black River
is a slow moving lowland river that is part of a complex
system of prairies, forests, streams, lakes, ponds,
swamps and marshes. This diverse habitat is home to more
than 50 species of mammals, 150 species of birds, and
300 species of plants.
This
area is so significant in 1980 the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service recognized the Black river as one
of the most important habitats for fish and wildlife in
the State of Washington. The black river supports
healthy runs of many types of anadromous
fish including chum, coho, and chinook
salmon, and also steelhead and cutthroat trout.
The
South Sound native prairies are considered one of the
most endangered landscapes in the state, once covering
some 160,000 acres. The remaining 2%, much of which is
located in
Thurston County, supports a rich array of native birds, flowers and
butterflies, some of which are found nowhere else in the
world. The prairie was created during the most recent
ice age about 12,000 years ago.
Goal
#4: Protect
Oak Woodlands & Prairie Habitat
Until
recently, oak woodlands filled the landscape across much
of this country. Oak trees, often associated with
prairies and riparian corridors, provide food and
shelter for many of Washington’s rarest plants and animals. The open landscape of
oak woodlands leaves them particularly vulnerable to development and threatens the legacy of this unique
environment.
Many
of the oak woodlands and prairies have been converted to
farms and homes. This ecosystem has been fractured over
time with encroachment and growth so it has become
increasingly important to preserve these lands. These
lands have also become scarcer because without
controlled burnings by Native Americans Douglas firs has
encroached on the prairie changing the land’s
character. Non-native invasive species have taken over
parts of the prairie habitat even where conifers have
not yet encroached. The most typical exotics are Scotch
broom and perennial grasses.
Two
species that are particularly threatened by the loss of
habitat are the western gray squirrel (which is listed
as Threatened by the State of
Washington and a Federal Species of Concern) and the western pocket
gopher (which is also a Federal Species of
concern).
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