Forterra completed a 1,500-acre acquisition in the Port Gamble Forest on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula in December, 2017. This acquisition completes a decade-long project to conserve more than 4,000 acres for recreation, restoration, cultural heritage and wildlife habitat. A mountain bike trail network is planned at the north end of the property, adding to the 65…
We funded Conservation Resource Alliance’s Boardman River Dams Project to remove three dams and restore 15 river miles along the Boardman River near Traverse City, Michigan. CRA reports that they have successfully removed Boardman Dam, the second of the three dams slated for removal. CRA now turns its attention to removing Sabin Dam, the last…
A 150-acre old-growth cypress swamp along North Carolina’s Black River is now protected thanks to The Nature Conservancy of North Carolina. The entire acquisition, called the Squire Tract, permanently protects 410 acres for conservation and recreation. Some of the cypress trees along the Black River are more than 1700 years old. With the addition of…
We awarded Wild Salmon Center a Public Lands Defense Fund grant to build grassroots support for the Elliott State Forest. On May 9, 2017, the Oregon Public Lands Board unanimously voted to cancel the sale of the 82,500-acre Elliott State Forest to a timber company. Almost half of trees in the Elliot State Forest are over…
In 2016, we awarded a $35,000 grant to the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT) to protect a 10 acre parcel in the Kona Cloud Forest, located on the big island of Hawaii. In 2017, HILT acquired the easement which protects the forest and other conservation values of the property, restricting additional subdivision and development of…
Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve acquired 688 acres of forest along the Yellow Dog River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The new Yellow Dog River Community Forest permanently protects public access to the Yellow Dog River, wetlands and forest for non-motorized recreation. In addition to river frontage and waterfalls, visitors can find upland mixed forests, old…
With support from The Land Trust of Tennessee and The Conservation Fund, a group of partners led by Access Fund and Southeastern Climbers Coalition purchased Denny Cove from a private timber owner. The 685-acre Denny Cove tract is now part of South Cumberland State Park. Transferring ownership was the final step in a multi-partner, six-year effort…
President Obama expanded the California Coastal National Monument to include six new areas: Trinidad Head; Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch; Lost Coast Headlands; Cotoni-Coast Dairies; Piedras Blancas; and Orange County Rocks. Members of California’s Congressional delegation led a legislative effort to expand this monument, which enjoys widespread support throughout California. Congress failed to act leading to President Obama’s proclamation. The original…
In January 2017, the Bureau of Land Management executed a 20-year mineral withdrawal for 101,021 acres in Southwest Oregon, protecting the area from any new mining activity. The area includes Rough and Ready Creek, Baldface Creek, Hunter Creek, the North Fork Pistol River and the North Fork of the Smith River. As a result, 107…
In January 2017, President Obama added 48,000 acres to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. 42,000 acres of the monument expansion are in Southwest Oregon, and 5,000 are in California. The original 66,000-acre national monument declared in 2000 by President Bill Clinton was explicitly designated to protect the area for it’s biological diversity. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument…
