- September 2, 1998 By David Wilkins The Aberdeen Daily World
The Nature Conservancy of Washington has purchased a 280-acre parcel of swampland near the headwaters of the Copalis River.
The site is prime habitat for native runs of coho and chum salmon. It also contains old-growth stands of lodgepole pine and Western red cedar, The Nature Conservancy's Curt Soper said today from Seattle.
"The previous owner contacted us six to eight months ago," said Soper. "It was something that wasn't on our radar screen. The previous landowner brought it to our attention."
The Nature Conservancy is a private non-profit corporation with the goal of "preserving plants, animals, and ecosystems that represent the diversity of life on Earth, by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive."
The Conservancy says it has a membership of 34,000 "households" in Washington state.
Most of the surrounding area at the headwaters of the river is owned by Rayonier Inc. The area purchased by the Conservancy is one of the few privately owned, undeveloped parcels in that part of the county.
"(The previous owner is) a small timber operator in Grays Harbor County," said Soper. "He had put in an application to do some timber harvesting, and was able to harvest part of the property, but most of it is wetland. There's standing water on it 280 days a year, so he contacted us to see if we were interested."
Nature Conservancy representatives visited the site and found a plethora of wildlife, including cougars and bears, Soper said.
"In addition to the salmon habitat, there's a rare fish called the Olympic mudminnow that lives in there," said Soper. "It's a very wet, dark bog, and it's got some outstanding natural features."
There are no plans to allow hunting or fishing on the site. One problem is access.
"Getting there requires going across adjoining properties," said Soper. "We want to be a good neighbor, by not making people go across other people's property to get out there."
The wet and dark nature of the swamp is a factor as well.
"We don't want people going out there and getting stuck in it or getting hurt," Soper added.
Fishing won't be allowed either, in order to protect the salmon spawning areas on the site.
The Conservancy owns one other parcel in Grays Harbor County, a 21-acre wetland site at the mouth of the Humptulips River.
"It's underwater most of the year," said the Nature Conservancy's Pamela McAllister. "It's also right next to a state Fish & Wildlife conservation area."
The Humptulips site was donated to the Conservancy in 1983.
The Copalis purchase is the Nature Conservancy's first in Grays Harbor County, and says there are presently no plans to purchase additional land around the site.
"We respect Rayonier's management program for their lands there," said Soper. "We just want to be a good neighbor."