Photo by Capitol Land TrustLOTT Alliance Conservation Easement
Conserved in 2007
Property Overview:
- 14.92 Acres along Kaiser Road in the Green Cove Creek Basin.
- This unique wetland system with Green Cove Creek running through it is owned by the Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Thurston County (LOTT) Clean Water Alliance. Capitol Land Trust holds a conservation easement on the parcel.
- Located just outside of Olympia’s Urban Growth Boundary, on Kaiser Road, the property is adjacent to the Kaiser (Green Cove Wetlands) Preserve sharing a North/South boundary. Several things make this property special and worthy of conservation. The property consists of three main types of vegetation: lowland grasses and shrubs in the eastern edge, largely undisturbed wetlands in the center of the property, and upland forests on the western edge. The wetlands were formed by depressions and beaver activity.
- Red alder and western red-cedar dominate the forest wetlands, with an understory of salmonberry and groundcovers including skunk cabbage and lady fern. Douglas spirea and willows dominate the shrub-scrub wetlands. Other dominant wetland plant species on the property include field horsetail, creeping buttercup, and slough sedge.
- Green Cove Creek is a perennial stream with anadromous and resident fish species present. Anadromous fish found in Green Cove Creek include Chinook, chum, and Coho salmon, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat trout. The federal government has recently listed all of these fish species as threatened.
- The bald eagle which is federally listed as threatened regularly visits the property. The Great Blue Heron which the State of Washington lists as a state monitor species also regularly visits the property. The property is also inhabited by other birds such as, the osprey, western grebe, American bittern, and northern harrier.
- This property was under immediate threat of development. The conservation easement prevents any future development. LOTT operates a wastewater pump station just outside of the property, which it intends to replace with an upgraded wastewater pump station.
CLT Strategic Conservation Goal Achieved:
- Conserve wetlands, riparian areas, and associated upland forests.