We talk a lot about forest health because it is a critical element of improving outcomes for wildlife, fish and human health. In 2025, we covered a lot of ground – literally – on the Preserve.
One of the many focuses for our forest restoration work is ensuring we have plant and tree diversity. We discussed that work in a previous newsletter, but it is truly one of the many pieces that ensure we are planting for today with an eye to the future of the Preserve. We have worked with our interns, the WCC, and the Suquamish Tribe to help us better understand which plants and trees will best support the wildlife, waterways, and birds of the Preserve into the future.
We have also created habitat piles from our restorative thinning work to create places for wildlife and put up bird and bat boxes to give our resident populations of flying wildlife a place to nest too.
The Foundation this year continued engaging with important partners like the Great Peninsula Conservancy. They received a grant from the U.S. Forest Service to create a community forest on a portion of the Ueland Tree Farm that will adjoin the southern portion of the Preserve. In addition to further extending the forest health and restoration footprint, we are excited about the benefits of having more outdoor spaces for residents, students and visitors. It will be exciting to have neighbors whose values align so closely with ours.
We take an approach to our work that takes every environmental and conservation element into consideration and consult with subject matter experts to keep our work on track and in line with best practices.
If you would like to join us for a spring planting or learn more about how you can be part of the Foundation’s work, please reach out to us at coordinator@ketalegacy.org. We would welcome your time and energy as we tackle another year of projects on the Preserve.
– Jeff Wirtz, Vice President