Nature Conservancy Buys Land in Dabob Bay

Purchase will protect important Puget Sound shoreline

DABOB BAY, WA — August 16, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy has purchased 28 acres of uplands and a half interest in about 30 acres of tidelands in Tarboo-Dabob Bay, located on Hood Canal in Jefferson County. This property is the first acquisition in support of the Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines’ goal of creating 10 new parks and natural areas on the shorelines of Puget Sound.

Tarboo-Dabob Bay is one of the largest examples of saltmarsh estuary and marine riparian shoreline remaining in Puget Sound. Stands of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar cover the uplands, and overhanging vegetation and natural landslides supply shade and new sediment to the beaches. The nearshore provides key rearing habitat for juvenile salmon, while an undisturbed beach yields spawning habitat for forage fish such as Pacific sand lance and surf smelt. You’ll also find Olympia oysters, dabbling ducks, brant, loons, and western and red-necked grebes.

The Nature Conservancy, the Northwest Watershed Institute, Jefferson County Land Trust, the Jefferson County Commissioners, local landowners and other interested groups are working together to explore the feasibility of expanding the state’s existing Dabob Bay Natural Area Preserve or creating a Natural Resources Conservation Area to enhance protection in this important bay.

The property purchased by the Conservancy was privately owned and being marketed for residential development. It is contiguous with land owned by the Department of Natural Resources, and across the bay from a conservation easement donated to the Conservancy by Rock Point Oyster Company.

Click here to see a map of this new acquisition and Dabob Bay (pdf file).

“This is a rare opportunity to purchase shoreline habitat in Puget Sound that has not been heavily developed,” said David Weekes, executive director of the Conservancy’s Washington chapter. “This acquisition enables us to help keep the natural character of this area intact.”

The Nature Conservancy’s purchase of nearly a mile of undeveloped shoreline and associated uplands is the first in an effort by the Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines to create 10 new shoreline parks and natural areas. The Alliance is comprised of The Trust for Public Land, The Nature Conservancy, and People for Puget Sound, working in partnership on a multi-year, $80 million campaign to protect and restore Puget Sound’s ecologically rich shorelines and ensure they’re available for people to enjoy for generations to come. The three organizations, along with other partners, are creating 10 new parks and natural areas along Puget Sound shorelines, restoring 100 miles of shoreline, and protecting 1,000 miles of shoreline.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.