Forterra proposes to acquire a conservation easement (CE) on a property along the southern shore of Little Skookum Inlet in Mason County. The property consists of 816 acres of forests, wetlands, and riparian habitat, and includes nearly two miles of Puget Sound shoreline. The freshwater habitats on the property are home to fall Chum Salmon; the marine shoreline along the property also provides habitat for juvenile Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, steelhead, and Cutthroat Trout. The property's shoreline and bedlands of the inlet are also highly productive shellfish growing areas. The property owner wishes to sell a CE on the property, which would not only extinguish the development rights on the property (zoned R10 & R5), but also expand the no-cut riparian buffers from 50' to 100'-150' to match the county critical areas ordinance. The placement of a CE would prevent increases in fecal coliform contamination & water temperature of the property's salmon-bearing streams and nearshore habitats. These impacts are often associated with residential development, which have historically occurred within nearshore areas. Protecting the subject property via a CE will ensure that its marine shoreline, riparian habitats and forested uplands will continue to provide water quality and habitat benefits. Protection of the subject property will not only directly benefit priority salmonid stocks and their habitats, but also the forage fish that utilize the inlet that salmon and other species prey up