PSE Foundation donates $500,000 to Nisqually Land Trust
The money will help purchase a key portion of the Nisqually watershed
BELLEVUE, Wash. (4/29/2019) The Puget Sound Energy Foundation has donated half a million dollars to the Nisqually Land Trust, the first and largest grant to-date under the new Environmental Partnership Program.
This grant is part of the foundation’s roll out of a $1 million commitment to invest in local environmental partners.
Nisqually Land Trust was selected this year as a recipient because of their environmental and community impact in a rapidly growing area.
The grant money will be used by the Nisqually Land Trust to help purchase the property called the Busy Wild North, which is 320 acres of forestland on Busy Wild Creek. The location of this property is the headwaters of the Mashel River, the largest tributary to the Nisqually River.
The 320 acres is the most critical piece of the 2,000 acres the Nisqually Land Trust has been working to purchase, in order to create a working forest, which will help protect five species of native salmon, two of which are on the endangered species list.
The critical piece of land cost $975,000, and the money the PSE Foundation is providing will go to help pay the loan.
“The PSE Foundation is committed to supporting programs that deliver meaningful, measurable and long-lasting results for generations to come,” said Andy Wappler, Chairman and President of the PSE Foundation. “We’re proud to be help the Nisqually Land Trust protect this critical watershed.”
Acquiring this property will allow the Nisqually Land Trust to change timber management and increase stream flow and water quality in Busy Wild Creek, especially during spawning season for the Nisqually steelhead trout, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
“We plan to harvest timber, but we will thin trees rather than clear-cutting. This will allow the old trees to get older, which improves habitat while also supporting our local rural economy,” said Joe Kane, executive director for Nisqually Land Trust.
To view more about the donation to the Nisqually Land Trust click here.