Save 70 Acres in Mason County!

A Unique Opportunity

Help us protect 70 acres of irreplaceable rainforest for the future generations of Mason County! We have a special opportunity to work together and ensure this vital ecosystem lives on.

Located just 10 minutes outside downtown Belfair in traditional Skokomish territory, this extraordinary land encompasses legacy forest, a salmon-bearing stream, wetland habitat, riparian zones, and native plants vital for local Tribal cultural traditions. As a collaborative project, this land is a place that heals, unites, and protects the diverse communities that call this area home. 

With generous community donations and a 5-year loan, MCCJ purchased this land last February. Your contribution will help us preserve these 70 acres for our second year of ownership. We have achieved 83% funding for 2026, but we need your support to raise just $15,000 more to completely cover the remaining loan costs for the year. Additional funds raised will go towards future land loan payments so that together we can protect this land in perpetuity.

The property contains 0.7 miles of the lower reaches and upper confluence of a significant creek that supports salmon populations.

Parcel Map

At Risk: A Natural Legacy

In this pivotal time of a rapidly changing climate, public lands being clearcut regardless of community input, green spaces being cleared for luxury housing developments, and executive orders putting millions of acres of old growth on the chopping block, there are fewer and fewer native plants, old forests, healthy waters, and large undeveloped areas. Such areas are necessary for salmon and wildlife habitat recovery, community mental health, and supporting local Tribal traditions. 

This challenge is bigger than just funding or conservation. It’s about the survival of generational legacy, access to cultural resources, and community resilience. Without your support, these 70 acres are at risk of being logged, mined, or clearcut for waterview luxury vacation homes with restricted access. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, the Puget Lowland Ecoregion, where this land is located, has just 5% functional habitat remaining. This region is crucial for native biodiversity and providing a refuge for species displaced by development, such as migratory birds and salmon. 

Together, we can preserve what little remains.

Nurse logs such as this one provide essential nutrients to countless fungi, mosses, seedlings, insects, and birds.	Lungwort lichen, abundant on this land, thrives in older forests with good air quality. Lungwort lichen is key to the nitrogen cycle.
Hikers gaze up at towering big leaf maple trees over 100 years old.	This pink sherbert polypore is one of dozens of types of fungi found in this forest.

The Community Benefit: Thriving Together

Protecting this land ensures that the teachings and legacy of the oldest trees and sacred plants will continue for generations to come. 

As the native plants and animals thrive here, so too will our communities. Our mental, physical, spiritual, and social well-being grows from connection with nature and each other. In our current landscape of social, economic, and political uncertainty, high stress work environments, rapid technological and industrial changes, and overall unrest, it’s more important now than ever to have engaging and thriving natural spaces where we can come together and find rest while we fall in love with the land beneath our feet. In almost every culture, both past and present, there is an underlying reverence and fondness for nature, even if we’ve shifted away from tradition. For local Tribal people and those with an unbroken connection to land and water, these 70 acres provide a place for traditional cultural activities, gathering of natural foods and medicines, and a place to improve mental and physical health. For those whose connection to nature has been disrupted, this land provides a space to reconnect and relearn how to live in balance with all life. 

In the past 8 months since acquiring the land, we have hosted three community hikes, held two educational native plant walks, built a floating trail over the wetland, removed invasive plants, begun interviews with stakeholders, and supported Tribal members gathering in their traditional territory. With this funding, we will be able to continue this progress and take the next step of bringing together local community members, including Tribal culture keepers, to envision the future of this land and our shared work to protect and restore it.

Because MCCJ is a multigenerational, multiracial, cross-class organization, this program is an opportunity to unite across differences in our love for this place. As Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, “Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”

Join us in investing in our shared future by donating and spreading the word!

MCCJ's youth leaders celebrate their successes with an end-of-school-year hike and picnic on the land.

The land ranges in elevation from sea level to 450 feet with multiple breathtaking viewpoints. On a clear day, Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) can be seen to the south and the Olympic Mountains to the north.

Using upcycled materials, Khirstie and Rob build a floating trail to protect the wetland.

An MCCJ intern leads a native plant walk for all ages.