Rocky Creek Preserve
In 2019 Great Peninsula Conservancy acquired 34 acres on East Fork Rocky Creek and in 2020 acquired an additional 150 acres that contain significant stretches of Rocky Creek, East Fork Rocky Creek, and a portion of the upper estuary of Rocky Bay. This is one of the largest properties GPC has ever acquired in one transaction.
Funding for this project came from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Pierce County Conservation Futures Program, Max and Janet Laudeman, and GPC members.
In 2021, GPC acquired a 7.5-acre parcel to the north and a 5-acre parcel between the two first properties. Together they’ll increase the preserve to nearly 200 contiguous acres.
East Fork Rocky Creek Project Details
Roy Lampson, who grew up in Tacoma and had never observed salmon in the wild, purchased a 5-acre parcel of forestland with a salmon stream on Key Peninsula in the 80s. Over time he expanded it to encompass a 34-acre stretch and worked with Pierce Conservation District (PCD) to replace an undersized culvert. The project increased salmon activity in the stream so much that when the fish returned, they were “wall to wall.” Over the last few years, Roy thought carefully about the future of his property and again reached out to PCD for advice on protecting it. They connected Roy to Great Peninsula Conservancy. GPC is excited to announce this new nature preserve: a place to observe salmon in the wild for years to come.
Great Peninsula Conservancy began work on the East Rocky Creek Preserve in 2016 and completed the project in December 2019 thanks to the willing landowners and funding provided by Pierce County Conservation Futures and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. The preserve will protect 34-forested acres that provide habitat for salmon on East Fork Rocky Creek and Winter Creek. Wildlife, including several black bears, call the area home.
Project Partners
Pierce County Conservation Futures
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, Salmon Recovery Funding Board
