Small but Mighty

Our newest acquisition connects a small but critical piece of land to one of Washington's largest and most important nesting areas.

 

In late June, Columbia Land Trust permanently protected a small piece of land with significant importance to shorebirds and migratory waterfowl on the northern end of Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula near Leadbetter Point State Park.

This 27-acre site, consisting of interdunal forests, lakes, and wetlands, builds on 120 acres of wildlife and fish habitat previously conserved by the Land Trust. The property is also home to impressive trumpeter swans, which migrate from Alaska to the state of Washington each year to overwinter. Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl native to North America, and light up our region’s lakes, rivers, and coastal bays in the winter with their beautiful white plumage.

The newly conserved property also contributes to the integrity of the neighboring Leadbetter Point ecosystem, which hosts Endangered Species Act-listed birds, including western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrines) and streaked horned lark (Eremophila alpestris strigata).

As an added benefit, conserving this property protects the local community’s drinking water. The Land Trust purchased the property from Ken Carlson, who has owned the land since the 1970s, and funding was provided from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. We’re thrilled to add this small but critical accomplishment to a year full of conservation successes on the Pacific Coast. Learn more about our work along the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay.