Urban Wildlife Habitat projects fund close-to-home places to play and explore nature. As our urban areas are increasingly expanding and densifying, these grants protect important fish and wildlife habitat within five miles of densely populated areas, creating green refuges that help keep our ecosystems healthy and provide places to enjoy nature right in our backyards.
The Department of Natural Resources used this grant to expand the Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area, north of Olympia. The additional 90.7 acres, including shoreline,enhanced the conservation area and the viability of the Urban Wildlife Habitat habitat in a rapidly developing residential area. Land acquisition added to the overall goal of providing simportant habitat for wildlife, including nesting bald eagles, a significant heron rookery, and the largest harbor seal nursery in south Puget Sound. With habitat ranging from shoreline to wetlands to mature second-growth forest, homes for shorebirds and songbirds, river otters, and a maternity colony of bats will continue to be protected.