Nisqually Land Trust acquires more property along Ohop Creek for restoration efforts
The Nisqually Land Trust has purchased more property along Ohop Creek in an effort to restore the tributary and bring populations of threatened salmon back to the area, according to a news release.
The two newly purchased land parcels include 45 acres of floodplain and more than a half-mile of shoreline on the creek just west of Eatonville. The shoreline is currently used by four species of salmonids native to the Nisqually Watershed, including threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, according to the land trust.
Ten acres of property were purchased from Marcia Berger and her family, who have lived near the creek since 1983 and will continue to do so. Their property connects to 90 acres already purchased by the Land Trust from the Pruitt family in 2019.
These new purchases and the effort for restoration come after the creek was ditched more than a century ago to drain the valley for dairy farming, according to the land trust. The work decimated the salmon populations in the Nisqually Watershed, reducing Chinook populations by some 80%.
“We’re grateful to Marcia and her family for helping us to secure one more piece of the puzzle for the next phase of the Ohop Creek restoration,” said Jeanette Dorner, Land Trust executive director.
The Land Trust already has bought several other properties in the area to contribute to restoration efforts, including 35 acres with 2,200 feet of creek shoreline with salmon-spawning beds. The purchase halted the planned development of 37 homes that would have been detrimental to the spawning grounds.
In 2015, the Land Trust partnered with the Nisqually Indian Tribe and local government agencies to return 1.6 miles of ditch back to 2.4 miles of stream with salmon accessibility and thousands of native plants.
The purchases were made in partnership with the state’s Streamflow Restoration and Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration programs and the Nisqually Delta Environmental Mitigation Trust, according to the land trust’s news release.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 1:11 PM.
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