Land trusts measure their success in a variety of ways, but completing projects that permanently protect land is always an important metric. Thanks to generous donors, community partnerships, and dedication from everyone involved, 2023 was an exceptional year and saw 300 more acres added to land GPC now stewards. Read on to learn about these new additions!
June 2023: Dewatto Shoreline Preserve Expansion
5 acres
Mason County
GPC secured this five-acre inholding within our 31-acre Dewatto Shoreline Preserve on Hood Canal in Mason County. Funding was provided by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, which will also be helping restore the property. This parcel creates a contiguous block of conservation land and includes 160 feet of waterfront, further protecting this beautiful section of Hood Canal forever!
July 2023 & December 2023: Tahuya River Preserve
183 acres
Mason County
Throughout 2023 GPC worked with landowners to purchase these two exciting properties that protect a mile of the Tahuya River. The initial 145-acre purchase and the 38-acre addition in December make up the new Tahuya River Preserve and were made possible through support from Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board and a partnership with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. These acquisitions kicked off a larger phased project to protect the lower four miles of the Tahuya River, which is a highly significant watershed for several species of endangered salmon.
August 2023: Grovers Creek Expansion
38.5 acres
Kitsap County
This expansion adds nearly 40 acres of undeveloped land next to one of Great Peninsula Conservancy’s most treasured conservation properties, the 279-acre Grovers Creek Preserve, which sits in the heart of North Kitsap. Thanks to amazing community support, $237,000 was raised to purchase the property and protect more of this important watershed.
November 2023: Stillwaters
12 acres
Kitsap County
GPC has been working with Stillwaters Environmental Education Center since 2022 to bring their organization in under our Land Labs program. While this strategic move was focused on our community engagement efforts, it also brought over 13 acres of land in Kingston into permanent protection. This includes wetland habitat in the Carpenter Creek watershed and the Tree House property that will serve as a home for future Land Labs and Stillwaters programming in North Kitsap.
December 2023: Hansville Greenway Expansion: Hawks Ponds
10 acres
Kitsap County
Starting in late 2022, Great Peninsula Conservancy and the Hansville Greenway Association initiated a community campaign to acquire a beautiful 10-acre parcel on the shores of two ponds to expand the Hansville Greenway. Thanks to dozens of community member donations and matching funds from Kitsap County Conservation Futures, the property closed in December 2023. This undeveloped piece of land spans the upland forest between Upper Hawk’s Pond and Lower Hawk’s Pond.
December 2023: Indianola Waterfront and Woodland Preserve
Kitsap County
2 acres
This acquisition of a rare stand of mature forest was made possible through a community fundraising effort spearheaded by Friends of Miller Bay. GPC partnered with Friends of Miller Bay to protect and transfer ownership of this parcel to Kitsap County Parks, which is adjacent to the existing Indianola Waterfront and Woodland Preserve.
December 2023: Filucy Bay Expansion
55 acres
Key Peninsula, Pierce County
In late 2023, GPC accepted the donation of 55 acres adjacent to our existing Filucy Bay Preserve. This addition preserves diverse forest habitat, 265 feet of exceptional-quality feeder bluffs, wetland habitat, and a wildlife corridor stretching from Filucy Bay to Carr Inlet. Thanks to this incredibly generous gift by a longtime anonymous donor, GPC now protects 186 acres in this high-priority watershed.