JOYCE — The North Olympic Land Trust will host a community celebration Saturday to mark the opening of the Lyre Conservation Area to the public.
Saturday’s festivities will begin at 12:30 p.m. and continue through 4 p.m.
Activities will include opportunities to explore the land and learn from local experts about its birds, habitat restoration and the cultural history of the surrounding property.
The grand opening ceremony will be at 2 p.m. on the waterfront.
The area, which cost $3.15 million to acquire, was opened to the public late last year.
Now it’s time to celebrate, according to Tom Sanford, land trust executive director. Several speakers have been invited.
Among them are Rep. Steve Tharinger of the 24th Legislative District, which covers Clallam, Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties; Russell Hepher, vice chairman of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribal council; Sheida Sahandy, Puget Sound Partnership executive director; Kaleen Cottingham, state Recreation and Conservation Office director; and a representative of the Makah tribe.
Parking will not be available at the Lyre Conservation Area on Saturday.
Parking will be provided at Crescent School in Joyce, with an All Points Charters & Tours shuttle running continuously from
12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. to the Lyre Conservation Area.
Guests are encouraged to come prepared for the weather and for a 1½-mile round-trip walk on easy terrain from the entrance to the area down to the waterfront. Those with restricted mobility can use a second shuttle all the way to the waterfront.
Shoreline area
The conservation area, acquired by the land trust in late 2014, features the estuary at the mouth of the Lyre River, streams, tide-flats, kelp beds and a half-mile of Strait of Juan de Fuca shoreline.
It also includes a large upland forest and habitat for salmon and a variety of migratory and resident birds and wildlife.
“Access to the Strait is one of the great things about living on the North Olympic Peninsula,” Sanford said.
“The Lyre Conservation Area is an ideal spot for recreational activities like bird and wildlife viewing, surfing, picnicking and beach walking.
“Across Clallam County, public access to the Strait is limited,” Sanford said, adding that greater access has been requested by many members of the public.
“The land trust is really excited to provide this access while also permanently conserving this beautiful waterfront property in its current natural state.”
The area was acquired by the land trust through a collaboration with the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery, the Puget Sound Partnership, the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe and the Makah tribe.
The state Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund, Marine Shoreline Protection Fund and its Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program provided the funding.
In addition, local funding and in-kind support for the long-term stewardship of the property was provided by land trust donors, the prior landowners — who, Sanford said, were deeply committed to the project — and the Lower Elwha Klallam and Makah tribes.
The Lyre Conservation Area marks the largest land protection project in the land trust’s 26-year history, Sanford said.
Over the past year, hundreds of volunteer hours have created new parking areas, removed debris and installed information kiosks.
A crew from the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe replaced a bridge and removed a dilapidated home.
More than 1,700 native trees and shrubs have been planted in partnership with the Clallam Conservation District.
An additional tree planting occurred in December with local timber company Green Crow and students from Franklin Elementary School in Port Angeles.
To RSVP for the grand opening celebration, email brad@northolympiclandtrust.org or call 360-417-1815, ext. 4.
For more information, go to www.northolympiclandtrust.org.
