Photo by Bruce Livingston.49 acres on Henderson Inlet conserved with sale to Capitol Land Trust – supports Thurston County’s Henderson Inlet shellfish protection plan
George and Marcia Brown convey their special place for permanent conservation.
Lacey – A large parcel of land that was once to have a retirement dream home and be a nature sanctuary will now just be a nature sanctuary, after the long-time owners, Dr. George and Marcia Brown, decided to relocate to California and transfer this special piece of land to Capitol Land Trust.
“We always believed we would return to the area to build our home on this precious property, but after years of living in Albuquerque and Portland, and now having family in California, it seemed more practical to join our family there. The best we could hope for was for this land to be owned by Capitol Land Trust and preserved as we have known it.” – George and Marcia Brown
Located on the southeast shore of Henderson Inlet, the 49-acre property is mostly forested but also has wetlands and a small stream that traverses the property before flowing into a small pocket estuary. The estuary provides habitat for salmon and shellfish. All one has to do is look at the satellite imagery on google maps to see that this protected cove with its lush forest canopy is a unique haven in the southern end of the Inlet.
Thurston County’s Henderson Inlet Shellfish Protection District’s plan calls for permanent land conservation in this stretch of the Inlet. The goal of the plan is to improve water quality to protect the viability of the commercial shellfish industry as well as our public shellfish and marine resources. This acquisition brings us one step closer to achieving these goals.
“Henderson Inlet is one of Capitol Land Trust’s focus areas and this property is just ¼ mile away from two other shoreline properties we own and manage. Together, these properties protect water quality in Henderson Inlet for nature and the people of Lacey and Olympia. We really appreciate the Browns’ commitment to keeping this property natural and trusting us to do the job.”, said Amanda Reed, Capitol Land Trust’s Executive Director.
The only building on the property is a dilapidated home dating back to the 1930’s, which has not been used in decades. Capitol Land Trust will demolish and remove this building to restore the property to natural conditions. The land trust will continue to own and manage the property as a preserve, developing vegetation management and water quality projects for volunteer opportunities.
The property includes 3,500 feet of shoreline for shellfish, harbor seals and salmon species, along with 1,500 feet of fish-bearing stream. The forest provides habitat for deer, coyote, great blue heron, bald eagles, and pileated woodpeckers.
Brown Acquisition Project Partners
- Dr. and Mrs. George Brown
- WA Dept. of Ecology
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- WA Salmon Recovery Funding Board
- Capitol Land Trust Members and private donors