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Willits
Tree Farm Conservation Easement:
54 Acres located
on the Steamboat Island Peninsula.
Conserved in 2005.
This
easement was donated by CLT board member Ward Willits and
his wife, Rita Willits. The land is adjacent to an
existing 65-acre conservation easement they donated in
1998. Surface water from these properties, filtered by
forests and wetlands,
drains to the Sanderson Cove estuary. The Willits Tree
Farm easement marks a new venture for the Land Trust. The
terms of the easement allow the Willits to manage the land
for sustainable timber and forest product harvest, while
working to enhance wildlife habitat. Habitat enhancements
will include removing invasive species, creating snags for
cavity-nesting birds and other wildlife, restoring wetland
areas, and managing the health and diversity of forest
species.
Overview
of property:
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54
acres near the end of Hunter Point, Thurston County
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Forest
and wetland habitat
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Home
to migratory and resident songbirds and waterfowl,
herons, bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers, black
bear, deer, coyote, and many other species
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CLT
Strategic Conservation Goals met by this project:
Protect
peninsular riparian areas and wetlands and Protect
marine shorelines and estuaries.
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