Willits Conservation Easement

Conserved in 1998

Property Overview:

• 47 acres located on the northern end of the Steamboat Island Peninsula, north of Olympia in Thurston County.
• This property lies adjacent to another conservation easement also donated by Ward and Rita Willits in 2005 (Willits Tree Farm), providing a combined 101 acres of contiguous habitat.
• The Willits Conservation Easement is a diverse combination of agricultural lands, wetlands and deciduous and coniferous forests. It covers land adjacent to an existing conservation easement donated to the National Resource Conservation Service. The Easement also includes a small stream which drains into Sanderson Cove estuary in northern Eld Inlet.
• The diverse wildlife protected by the conservation easement include dark eyed juncos, cedar waxwings, Pacific slope flycatchers, black-tailed deer, great blue heron, red-wing blackbirds, raccoon, black bear, and possibly cougar.

Thank you to the following partners:

• Ward and Rita Willits

CLT Strategic Conservation Goal Achieved:

• Conserve wetlands, riparian areas, and associated upland forests.
• Conserve working lands.

This easement was donated by former CLT board member Ward Willits and his wife, Rita Willits. The land is adjacent to an existing 54-acre conservation easement they donated in 1995