Tumwater to purchase 300 acres for conservation with help of local foundation
The City of Tumwater announced on Dec. 22 that it received a $1 million donation to go toward purchasing 300 acres and to protect threatened and endangered species.
According to a news release from the city, the Angela J. Bowen Conservancy Foundation recently committed $1 million toward the purchase of 300 acres of property for sale on the city’s south side. The land will be used for habitat mitigation and will benefit future development projects.
City spokesperson Jason Wettstein told The Olympian on Dec. 29 that the property in question is known as the Tickner Farm, which is located on Littlerock Road Southwest next to Black Hills High School. He said the city estimates the total investment would be between $15 million and $20 million.
According to previous reporting, the city heard a proposal in 2020 to turn the farm property into a major housing development that would have brought as many as 1,700 new homes to the area.
The land is suitable for the threatened Mazama pocket gopher, a subspecies of the Olympia pocket gopher, according to the release. And it has wetlands that would be habitat for the Oregon spotted frog, an endangered species.
“The Foundation’s contribution provides seed money as we work to raise the additional funds required to purchase the property and set it aside for wildlife,” City Administrator Lisa Parks said in the release.
Brad Medrud, the city’s Community Development director, said in the release that the city is in a challenging position of needing to meet development needs and protect species and critical habitat.
The funding gives opportunity for habitat mitigation and economic growth, according to the release.
“By gathering the resources to purchase mitigation land, the city will create habitat for endangered and threatened species in perpetuity in large, connected spaces,” according to the release. “Purchase of the land would help avoid expensive, inefficient, piecemeal development in unconnected, smaller mitigation lands.”
The release said the land purchase would fulfill habitat conservation requirements set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The requirements are outlined in the city’s draft Habitat Conservation Plan. In order for development projects to move forward, the city must find ways to set aside suitable habitat for species listed in the Endangered Species Act.
The city plans to set aside about 1,650 acres of prairie habitat over the next 30 years for conservation efforts and to sequester greenhouse gas emissions, according to the release.
“If we can gather the funding and bring this habitat project to fruition, we will conserve prairie habitat that is crucial to nature in Tumwater,” Parks said in the release. “We will also unlock potential for commercial, housing, and other development that supports our distinct quality of life, creates jobs, and funds most aspects of the city’s work.”
The Angela J. Bowen Foundation donated $1.45 million to the City of Olympia this fall for the purchase of 10 acres for conservation, and to help build out the Capitol to Capitol trail system.
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