Olympia Ecosystems

Olympia Ecosystems is a community-based conservation land trust, with four preserves across 500 acres. Our mission is to protect, preserve, and restore the diverse ecosystems in and around our state capital that include the freshwater, shoreline, tidal waters, their associated watersheds, grasslands, prairie, and upland forests that are home to many northwest species in the heart of our community. We seek to integrate conservation and restoration of degraded ecologically important areas within our urban community, while providing access and education to the public and enhancing the well-documented mental and physical benefits of a public connection to nature.

Trail within the restored area of the West Bay Woods

The West Bay Woods, our oldest preserve, is a 25-acre remnant shoreline forest, adjacent to Olympia's downtown on the western shoreline of the Deschutes Estuary. We have been carrying out restoration projects here over the last several years and have introduced a number of green infrastructure projects to improve water quality in our part of Puget Sound. The recovering forest contains 100-year old trees and a very present ecological connection to the water. It not uncommon to find shells littering the forest floor. It is also not uncommon to find the community walking the trails. 

Middle school students learn about the connection between the West Bay Woods and water quality in Puget Sound.

Last year, we asked for your support to help us make the existing trail system safer with some manual grading, a few stairs in the steepest areas, a gravel surface, and ‘foot-rails’ on the three little footbridges. Thanks to your generous support, we are in the midst of completing this project this month!

Having recently obtained permitting for the construction of "Stormwater Park South," where this newly improved trail connects to West Bay Drive, this year, we are asking for your support to help us with the costs of replanting this area in the fall. It will be a beautiful park for the public to enjoy along West Bay Drive, complete with stunning views of Budd Inlet, Olympia, and Tahoma, and providing the ecosystem service of cleaning stormwater from West Olympia neighborhoods before it enters the Puget Sound. Help us to complete this visionary project that we have been working on for several years now. As always, we could not do the work we do without community support.

Concept drawing of Stormwater Park South courtesy of Karin Strelioff, Thurston Conservation District.