North Olympic Land Trust used this grant to purchase a conservation easement on 14.9 acres at river mile 2 of the Elwha River, which permanently protects this salmon habitat, making it the Land Trust’s 80th conservation easement on the Olympic Peninsula. This conservation easement ensures the river will be able to flow freely across the land and create additional habitat, and permanently protects key cultural resources of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. The property includes about 0.4 miles of the mainstem of the Elwha River, a side channel, and significant floodplain habitat. The project protects habitat for ESA listed species in the Elwha River, including chinook, steelhead, sockeye, & bulltrout, as well as coho, chum, pink, & cutthroat. In 2014, there were 48 chinook redds on this property. The lower reaches of the Elwha River have many log jams, including this property, & are important for spawning. Protecting this property avoids future armoring & protects other restoration efforts & investments made in this critical stretch of river. It also precludes future development, extinguishing 2-3 development rights. Public access will be maintained via an existing easement for pedestrian travel & sports fishing. The property is adjacent to property owned by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, & their access is legally through the property that would be conserved. The Land Trust and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe mapped important areas with high conservation values for Pacific Salmon and native trout within the Elwha River watershed and two tributaries. This project will conserve priority #4 out of 117 parcels. This project would not have been possible without the support from our community and multiple funding partners which include: Land Trust Alliance’s Pacific Northwest Resilient Landscape Initiative, Local supporters of the North Olympic Land Trust’s Resilient Rivers campaign in 2021, Recreation and Conservation Office’s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration fund, allocated by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity. We are also grateful to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe for their invaluable support in this project. Landowners committed to conservation like the Weavers and our community’s outstanding support made this easement possible.