2022 was a record-breaking year for Great Peninsula Conservancy! Thanks to member support and funding from county, state, and federal partners, 500 acres of evergreen forests, salmon streams, shorelines, farms, and community greenspaces will be protected in perpetuity.
January 2022: Hansville Greenway Expansion
100 Acres
North Kitsap County
The preservation of this property was made possible by Hansville community volunteers, the Hansville Greenway Association, and the 284 donors who together raised $2,150,000 in two months to permanently preserve wildlife habitat, open space, and community trails.
April 2022 & July 2022: Filucy Bay Expansion (Phase IV)
10.6 Acres and 400 feet of shoreline
Key Peninsula, Pierce County
This year, GPC worked with willing landowners to secure two additional shoreline properties on Filucy Bay. On the northwest side of the bay, generous landowners provided a bargain sale, and GPC received grant funding from RCO’s Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program. The southern parcels were generously purchased and donated by a community member. These two projects expanded the preserve to a total of 119 acres. The Filucy Bay Preserve protects prime habitat for juvenile salmon.
July 2022: Minter Creek Conservation Easement
21 Acres, 1,300 feet of Minter Creek and 1,900 feet of tributaries
Pierce County
The conservation easement on Minter Creek protects wetlands and streams that provide excellent salmon habitat for coho and chum salmon as well as the threatened Puget Sound steelhead trout. The landowners have been, and continue to be, excellent stewards of this vital habitat.
The easement was purchased with funding from RCO’s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund and Pierce County Conservation Futures.
October 2022: Newberry Woods Community Forest
202 Acres
Kitsap County
With stunning views of Hood Canal, the Newberry Woods Community Forest protects 1.5 miles of the salmon-bearing Little Anderson Creek, and is home to trees that are over 100 years old. This preserve will protect the vital wildlife corridor to Hood Canal and provide habitat for a multitude of birds and other native wildlife. GPC acquired the preserve with funding from the USDA’s Community Forest Program, Kitsap County Conservation Futures, and the U.S. Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program. Thanks to a generous donation by the landowners, a section of the forest will be named the Lindstrom Family Preserve.
December 2022: Miller Bay Preserve Expansion
1.5 Acres and 200 feet of shoreline
North Kitsap County
This small, but vital, property protects estuary shoreline and high-quality habitat at the mouth of Grovers Creek on Miller Bay. With this expansion, GPC now protects more than 1,700 feet of shoreline in north Miller Bay.
December 2022: Pentheroudakis Preserve
22 Acres
Key Peninsula, Pierce County
This undeveloped forested property was generously donated to GPC to expand protected wildlife habitat on lower Key Peninsula, just adjacent to GPC’s Johnson South Sound Refuge.
December 2022: McDermott Point Preserve
12 Acres and 1,400 feet of shoreline
Key Peninsula, Pierce County
This property in the southern cove of Filucy Bay contains extensive barrier beach shoreline, which provides habitat for two species of forage fish — surf smelt and pacific sand lance — which are critical food sources for the migrating salmon found in Filucy Bay.
December 2022: Apple Tree Cove Conservation Easement
30 Acres
North Kitsap County
In an area highly threatened by development, this donated easement will protect a diverse forest providing wildlife habitat, farmland currently used as grassland pasture, a historic barn, and a rolling, scenic landscape.
December 2022: Kaukiki Farm Conservation Easement
115 Acres
Key Peninsula, Pierce County
Kaukiki Farm, a local landmark on Key Peninsula, is an active farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture, currently raising sheep and cattle. The protected property also contains more than 3,000 feet of Taylor Bay Creek and the mouth of the creek into Taylor Bay, which provides habitat for several salmon species.
December 2022: North Creek Forest Conservation Easement
5 Acres
Pierce County
Great Peninsula Conservancy will hold a 5-acre conservation easement on the North Creek Forest parcel in downtown Gig Harbor. This project is part of the Phase III of the North Creek Salmon Heritage Site. Partners include the Gig Harbor Land Conservation Fund, the City of Gig Harbor, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.
