Appleby Conservation Easement. One of several easements within our region. Click on the image for more information. Photo by Capitol Land Trust.

Humans have a unique relationship to land; it is at the same time familial, emotional and legal. Some land is passed down from one generation to the next and represents family history and significance beyond its physical attributes. Some landowners bought their land because of the beautiful setting or the richness of its natural features. Landowners who cherish their land often want to ensure it is managed in a way that maintains what they love about it into the future, including after they’re gone. One way to ensure the land is used in line with the owner’s wishes is through a conservation easement.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and another party – often a land trust – regarding how the land will be used for years to come. This agreement is recorded by the appropriate government entity and becomes part of the permanent legal description of the land.

Capitol Land Trust has partnered with many landowners to develop these agreements, which can be tailored to the desires of the owner while protecting important ecological values – Capitol Land Trust’s goal. Conservation easements also can be employed to maintain working farms and forests ensuring they can continue to produce agricultural or forest products, often for local use.

An easement can identify different uses for distinct parts of a property. For example, land surrounding a stream might be left in its natural state, while a field can be used for growing crops, and yet another area for residential use.

With an easement, the landowner continues to own the land while the land trust agrees to ensure that the land is used in accordance to the agreement. This includes making sure future owners comply with the easement and, if necessary, bring legal action to enforce the agreement.

Capitol Land Trust’s first conserved property was protected through a conservation easement. While the trust also has purchased land for conservation purposes, protecting land through conservation easements can be cost-effective and lessens the burden of long-term management on the land trust. With 38 easements in our portfolio, this partnership with private landowners has meant that some of our area’s most ecologically significant and important working lands are protected forever.

– reprinted with permission from the Issue 63, Fall 2017 of the Capitol Land Trust News

Click here to learn more about conservation easements and land trusts.

Click here to begin learning more about how you can conserve your land. 

In 2009, the Griffin Neighborhood Association and Capitol Land Trust formed the Steamboat Conservation Partnership. Conservation easements are one important tool available to help the Partnership meet its goal of conserving the rich and diverse natural landscapes of the Steamboat Peninsula region. Click here to learn more about the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.

This time of year, many of us are receiving requests to make year-end contributions to various worthy causes. With the Steamboat Conservation Partnership there exists a unique opportunity to give in a manner that will directly benefit those of us living here in the Griffin area. If your year-end planning includes making contributions to non-profit organizations, consider this your invitation to learn more about the SCP.

The Steamboat Conservation Partnership is a unique-in-the-nation collaboration between a local neighborhood group and the very successful Capitol Land Trust. The mission of the Steamboat Conservation Partnership is “to conserve the rich and diverse natural landscapes of the Steamboat Peninsula region.” Since this collaboration took effect, we have been able to protect more than 300 acres in the Steamboat Peninsula region.

The Capitol Land Trust has a proven record of working with land owners, businesses, and government to identify and preserve shorelines, rivers, forests, prairies, and working lands. You can learn more about the Steamboat Conservation Partnership on our web page at steamboatisland.org/scp  You will find a video there, that describes the work of the Capitol Land Trust.

We welcome contributions of any size.

Should you choose to make a contribution to the Steamboat Conservation Partnership, you will find a link on our web page and you can make a secure donation using a credit card. If you prefer, you may mail a check directly to the Capitol Land Trust. Insert “SCP” or “Steamboat Conservation Partnership” in the memo part of the check so we can receive credit. Your check should be mailed to Capitol Land Trust, 4405 – 7th Ave SE, Suite 306, Lacey, WA 98503. In reply you will receive a letter, for your tax records. And thank you, for supporting the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.

The Steamboat Conservation Partnership recently released its latest annual report. As many of you know, the SCP’s fiscal year begins July 1st of each year. Among the highlights are an eighth successful year of operation, continued planning, and collaboration with the Capitol Land Trust to identify important parcels in our area, for preservation. Here are excerpts from the CLT’s annual report:

Donations: During our 2016 – 2017 fiscal year (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017), we raised $20,727 for Capitol Land Trust, earmarked to finance part of their activities within the Steamboat Peninsula Region where most of us live and/or own property. Donations during the month of June were enhanced by three of our donors matching, dollar for dollar, any donations not exceeding a combined total of $1,500. This allowed us to exceed our annual goal of $15,000 in collections by more than 33.3%. This matching program was a first for the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.

Over the eight years of our existence, we have raised $134,129 for Capitol Land Trust, which is $14,129 above our goal of $120,000 for that eight-year period. We should all be very proud of generating these funds to ensure that many of our natural areas will be available to our children, grandchildren, and beyond.

Activities: This spring many of us in the Steamboat Conservation Partnership, along with friends and neighbors, began restoring a remnant portion of Schneider Prairie. The remnant is located on the north side of the Highway 101 overpass, where the majestic oak tree stands on the SW corner of Steamboat Island Road and Sexton Road. Many of us pass this site on our daily commutes.

We removed blackberries, scotch broom, and invasive non-native trees. Later, 4th Grade classes from the Griffin School worked the site to prepare for fall plantings of native prairie wildflowers and grasses. The project is led by Stephanie Bishop, a parent of Griffin School kids who works for the Thurston Conservation District. Long-time Steamboat Conservation Partnership participants Jack Sisco and Joanne Schuett-Hames helped organize the efforts.

This special project builds on past efforts of the Griffin Neighborhood Association. Years ago, members of the Griffin Neighborhood Association planted Gerry oak trees and other native vegetation in this and other areas after the freeway overpass was built on Steamboat Island Road. At that time Griffin School teachers initiated a long-term monitoring project on the nearby Schneider Creek. This newly restored area will be will now be used as a second outdoor educational site where students learn about our local prairie, and the traditional uses of prairie plants by Native Americans.

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Land Stewards Mark Hendricks, Deanna Frost and Jack Sisco at Oakland Bay County Park.

Nothing is quite as sweet in the conservation world as completing that land deal to protect a special habitat for generations to come. Whether it’s finalizing a conservation easement or the outright purchase of a piece of critical shoreline, wetland or intact forest, the news is met with much celebration and sense of satisfaction – that more land is protected into the future.

But acquiring the land is just the first step in conservation. The next step is making good on the commitment to keep the land in as good condition – or better – than it was when protected.

Good habitat stewardship is key so the plants and animals that depend on that piece of natural world will continue to thrive. Good stewardship may include restoration, such as removing shoreline armoring and non-native invasive plants, or replanting an old field with native trees and shrubs to recreate a once-existing forest or wet meadow. Often, good stewardship includes visiting a site to ensure that agreed-upon easement conditions are being adhered to, checking for encroachments, or picking up trash.

Dedicated Volunteers Make it All Happen

Capitol Land Trust relies on dedicated members to ensure that our protected lands remain in good condition. As more of the protected sites we manage become open with trails and facilities for the public, it will take more work to ensure that sensitive habitats are maintained and the “human footprint” isn’t having a negative effect on them.

Land Steward Jacqueline Winter monitors North Fork Goldsborough Creek Preserve.

That is why we are always looking for volunteers willing to spend some time and energy to visit and monitor our sites as stewards or occasional workers; to ensure that we are keeping our commitment to landowners and our community to be good stewards of the lands we manage.

Can I become a Volunteer Land Steward?

Yes! We’d love your help.

At the center of Capitol Land Trust’s mission is the perpetual stewardship of the properties we have conserved – into the future. We visit even our more remote properties at least once a year to document their condition, check for dumping and trespassing, and visit with neighbors. For private properties on which CLT holds a conservation easement, we also meet with the landowner to be sure they are fulfilling the terms of the conservation easement.

Volunteer Land Stewards are key to our long-term success. They monitor sites, usually with a CLT staff member. During annual monitoring visits, Land Stewards observe, take notes and photographs, and may act as guides. After visits, they fill out monitoring report forms that help us create final monitoring reports.

Land Stewards who live near or travel to a CLT-conserved property provide a critical service throughout the year by alerting CLT to any problems. Depending on the needs of the property and the volunteer, a Land Steward also may add visits and do other activities (such as removing invasive plants or organizing a volunteer work party). We match volunteer stewards with a property that fits their interests and physical abilities and (if possible) is near where they live or travel.

Planting live stake cuttings at Bayshore Preserve. Photo by Bruce Livingston.

A Land Steward’s time commitment depends on the CLT property and the volunteer. An hour is needed prior to the monitoring visit to review the previous year’s report; part of a day is needed for the visit and an hour or so after to fill out the monitoring report form. Typically, new Land Stewards are trained during their first visit to their assigned property – or they may join a monitoring visit to another Land Steward’s property to observe the protocol.

The reward for being a Land Steward is that you get to visit unique and beautiful natural areas, farms, ranches, and timberlands – most not open to the public. You also know you are giving back to your community.

Call our office if you are interested in being a Land Steward and we will match you with a suitable property. Thank you to all of our current, and past, volunteer Land Stewards for your ongoing support towards our efforts to preserve natural and working lands in southwest Washington!

Reprinted with permission from Issue 62, Fall 2016, of the Capitol Land Trust News.

The Capitol Land Trust and Griffin Neighborhood Association created the Steamboat Conservation Partnership in order to conserve the natural areas that make the Eld and Totten Inlet watersheds so special. Click here to learn more about how you can support the efforts of this unique partnership. And click here to learn more about preserved habitat right here in the Griffin/Steamboat Peninsula area.

We just completed our 7^th year of successful operation. It’s time to look back on our accomplishments and ahead to the future.

During our just ended 2015-2016 fiscal year (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016), we raised $13,905 for the Capitol Land Trust (CLT). This is $1095 below our annual goal of raising $15,000. Over the seven years of our existence, we have raised $113,382 for the CLT, which is $8382 above our goal of $105,000 for that period. We should all be very proud of generating these funds to ensure that many of our natural areas will be available to our children, grandchildren and beyond.

Since the SCP was formed in 2009, with our help, CLT has been able to add several areas to its bank of conserved properties within the Partnership boundaries, including:

• The Adams Cove Preserve, 35 acres and a pocket estuary in Totten Inlet.
• The Lower Eld Estuary Preserve, 55 acres along southern Eld Inlet.
• The Schmidt Conservation Easement addition, 5.5 acres near Hunter Point, adding to 29 acres already conserved.
• A stewardship fund established to protect the remaining 175 acres of the Wynne Tree Farm that was conserved last year. The 530 acre Wynne farm has now been conserved. This jewel of a farm is located in the Schneider Creek Valley with the headwaters of the creek.

These properties join many other properties in our area conserved in prior years:

Wynne Tree Farm. Image credit: Capitol Land Trust. Click for a larger image.

• Triple Creek Farm
• Randall Preserve
• Willits Tree Farm
• Allison Springs

The SCP has three committees: 1) Fund raising; 2) planning or technical committee; and 3) general operations. We are always seeking members to serve on these committees. Let us know if you are interested.

The fund raising committee solicits continuing, monthly contributions, as well as periodic contributions, including end of the calendar year contributions in December and hosts tables at the annual Capitol Land Trust Conservation Breakfast every February.

The planning committee is our most active committee and, with the assistance of CLT staff, researches properties within the Steamboat Peninsula region that would be appropriate for long-term conservation. Contacts are made with property owners explaining the SCP and our relations with CLT, and inquiring if these property owners are interested in conserving or preserving their properties. As you know, all conservation or preservation efforts are entirely voluntary with the property owners. Through these efforts, CLT is in discussions with several property owners who may seek to conserve their property.

The general committee consists of all members of the fund raising committee and planning committee. This committee basically runs the SCP.

We thank our past contributors to the Partnership. Please once again make an annual contribution to ensure natural areas continue to be conserved. While many of you like to make your donations at this time, the beginning of our program year, others donate at the end of the calendar year or at the Annual Capitol Land Trust Breakfast in early February.

If you have never made a donation to the Steamboat Conservation Partnership before, we hope you will remember us when planning your tax deductible donations for the year. Donations are welcome in any amount and at any time convenient to you.

We are currently embarking on an effort to further publicize SCP and solicit additional members. The July 16^th bike ride on the Steamboat Peninsula and notices on Nextdoor are part of this effort.

You are invited to attend Capitol Land Trust’s annual summer gala and auction at Ralph Munro’s home on Saturday, August 13, from 5-9 pm. General admission tickets are available at $85 per person as well as deluxe tickets at $175 per person. Click here for more details.  This is a great event and an opportunity to meet many other contributors to CLT.

Thank you for your past support,

Peter Reid 360-259-3591

Steve Lundin 360-866-1214

Co-Chairs, Steamboat Conservation Partnership

Click here for more information regarding the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.

Capitol Land Trust (CLT) and our many partners play a key role in protecting natural marine shorelines of Puget Sound by identifying productive and sensitive habitats, and by working with willing landowners to protect these areas using methods such as purchase, conservation easements, and restoration. We strive to maintain our shoreline heritage so that future generations will also be able to enjoy a meal of fresh salmon and shellfish, a day of clam digging and beachcombing, and see a great blue heron stalking fish along the water line, or glimpse an otter scampering down the beach.

Our extensive marine shorelines are a special feature of the southern end of Puget Sound. They formed when, during past ice ages, huge glaciers from the north plowed through lowlands between the Cascade and Olympic mountains, carving out a series of narrow fiords (inlets) separated by higher peninsulas. When the glaciers retreated, the low areas were connected with the Pacific Ocean, creating the complex of inlets and marine shorelines we see today.

Our shorelines provide inspiring views of glistening mountains across sparkling water. We enjoy and share many recreational and educational pursuits such as clam digging, fishing, crabbing, boating, bird watching, beach combing, and nature study made possible by access to shorelines and beaches.

Twin Rivers Ranch Preserve on Oakland Bay in Mason County. Photo by Bonnie Liberty.

Natural shorelines consist of beaches of sand and gravel, which are replenished by erosion of adjacent banks and bluffs. These beaches provide spawning habitat for small fish such as surf smelt, sand lance, and herring. They also provide productive habitat for shellfish such as littleneck clams and Olympia oysters, as well as other intertidal organisms like sand dollars and moon snails. Steep banks and high bluffs adjacent to the water provide habitat for kingfishers and pigeon guillemots that nest in burrows in the bluffs. Trees leaning out from the shoreline provide cover for fish and perching sites for kingfishers, bald eagles, and crows. Near-shore waters adjacent to the shoreline are used by salmon, sea-run cutthroat trout, and seals, as well as diving ducks such as goldeneyes and buffleheads while they over-winter in Puget Sound.

In estuaries, fresh water from rivers and streams mix with salt water, producing a rich environment for fish and wildlife. Estuaries range in size from small coves or “pocket estuaries” like Allison Springs, where CLT has done extensive restoration, to those associated with large rivers and streams, like the Nisqually River. Regardless of size, estuaries and their associated salt marsh and mudflat habitats are important rearing areas for young salmon leaving our rivers and streams. Here they acclimate to salt water and put on rapid growth, feeding in the rich salt marsh sloughs and shallow waters. Estuaries are also important stopovers for shorebirds on their migrations, where they rest and feed on invertebrates to replenish the fat that will fuel their long flights to northern breeding areas in the spring, and back south in the fall.

The abundant fish and shellfish available in our inlets were key to supporting Native American communities along the shores of Puget Sound, and the linkage between salmon, shellfish, and Native American culture remains strong today. The shellfish and salmon were also a foundation for the economy of the pioneers and settlers. Totten and Little Skookum Inlets, and Oakland Bay are still some of the most productive shellfish-producing areas in the country.

Our shorelines provide many important ecological, economic, social and aesthetic values.

Triple Creek Farm Conservation Easement on Eld Inlet. Photo by Capitol Land Trust.

Ecologically, shorelines provide diverse habitats, including estuaries, mudflats, and beaches. These are dynamic places, where the land meets and interacts with the sea. Our attraction to the many wonders of shorelines can also be a threat – we are in danger of loving them too much. Shoreline home sites are highly valued because of the beautiful views, natural setting, and ready access to the water. Consequently, many of our shorelines have been overtaken by residential development. The combined impacts of bulkheads, tree and native vegetation removal, and runoff from driveways and yards, can reduce and alter beach habitat.

That is why Capitol Land Trust, with your help, has been protecting these vital places. While proper planning and stewardship can reduce the impact of development, it is critical to maintain natural areas with highly functioning habitat if we are to ensure shoreline health and productivity. We have protected over 14 miles of Puget Sound shoreline and continue to work with private landowners, public agencies and others to ensure we have shorelines abounding with life into the future.

By Dave and Joanne Schuett-Hames

Text reprinted with permission from Capitol Land Trust News, issue 61, Spring/Summer 2016.

In 2009, the Capitol Land Trust and Griffin Neighborhood Association formed the Steamboat Conservation Partnership. Since this collaboration took effect, we have been able to protect more than 300 acres in the Steamboat Peninsula region. Click here to learn more about this first-in-the-nation partnership between a neighborhood group and land trust.