We are pleased to announce that North Olympic Land Trust has purchased a 280-acre property just east of the Lyre River on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This stunning property features the estuary at the mouth of the Lyre River, streams, wetlands, tidelands, kelp beds and bluff-backed beaches. It also includes a large upland area with a diverse forest at various ages of growth, including a portion that has been recently harvested.
Lyre Conservation Area
Located twenty miles west of Port Angeles, the property will become a conservation area. It provides ideal habitat for several salmon species and a large variety of migratory and resident birds and wildlife. We plan to open the property for public use in mid to late November of 2015.
This acquisition was made possible through the efforts of the Land Trust and local partners to secure grant funding provided by the State of Washington’s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration fund and Marine Shoreline Protection fund, Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program, general North Olympic Land Trust funds, and a generous donation from the prior owner for the ongoing care of the land. Critical partners include the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Puget Sound Partnership, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and the Makah Tribe.
“The Land Trust has been working with community partners for years to conserve this property,” said North Olympic Land Trust Board President Karen Westwood of Sequim. “This is the largest land protection project in the Land Trust’s almost 25-year history and will be a terrific place for the community to enjoy local forests and shoreline.”
Planning is underway for the use of the property. Visitors will be able to park about a mile from the beach and walk in from there. Visitors can enjoy day-use activities such as birdwatching, wildlife viewing, surfing, picnicking, and beach walking. The area will be closed to motor vehicles.
The Lyre property will join other areas permanently conserved by the Land Trust, from the Bogachiel River and Elk Creek in the western part of the County to Jimmycomelately Creek and Dungeness farmland in the east. Lands owned by the Land Trust are generally open for use by the public.
The Lyre property includes the 3,000th acre that the Land Trust has conserved in Clallam County. This purchase pushes the value of total land conservation by the Land Trust to more than $14 million since 2007. For every unrestricted dollar donated by supporters to run the Land Trust, the organization has conserved $16 of land in Clallam County.
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