More Key Peninsula Land Comes Under Conservation

In 2025, GPC’s work exemplified what makes local conservation efforts so powerful, especially in places like the Key Peninsula.”

Land is being set aside for conservation and recreation up and down the Key Peninsula, through the combined efforts of organizations like Great Peninsula Conservancy, Key Pen Parks, and Washington State Parks.

The headliner in their recent work is the acquisition of a 38-acre undeveloped parcel that adjoins 360 Trails on its eastern border. It can be seen from the East Wing trail. GPC and Key Pen Parks partnered to win funding for the purchase of the property, which will be owned by the parks department, from Pierce County’s Conservation Futures program.

Planning for the property’s public access and use will begin in the next few years, according to Tracey Perkosky, executive director of Key Pen Parks. That will likely involve expanding the 360 Trails system of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.

Much of the property has a young, regenerating forest. In addition to its general value as wildlife habitat, said Ali Querin, senior conservation project manager at GPC, the property hosts an extensive wetland complex that supports cool, clean water in Little Minter Creek, which feeds into lower Minter Creek just southwest of 360 Trails and Gateway Park.

It does not border Gateway Park. In between the two is a horse ranch, the Zeren property, that Key Pen Parks has considered purchasing for years, going so far as to poll the community for feedback and enter into negotiations with the landowner. The latest, according to Perkosky, is that a deal could not be reached, and Key Pen Parks has shelved the idea. She said she appreciated the landowner’s willingness to work with Key Pen Parks.

The new 38-acre acquisition joins a 40-acre parcel added by Key Pen Parks to the northwest corner of 360 Trails in 2019. Initially known as the Cramer-McCracken Property, it has officially been folded into 360 Trails, though the rest of 360 Trails remains under the ownership of the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Perkosky said design work is underway for a trail that will allow park users to enter the parcel’s mature forest. A stretch of Minter Creek runs through the property. The new trail may open as soon as 2026, depending on the review process required by the state salmon recovery funding that paid for the acquisition.

Key Pen Parks has set aside funding in its 2026 budget for the possible acquisition of a 1-acre property adjacent to Key Center and the new farming and food hub being developed by Food Backpacks 4 Kids. Perkosky said negotiations with the seller have not begun in earnest, but that it would be “a wonderful opportunity to partner with Food Backpacks 4 Kids for a community space in our business center.”

In October, GPC passed off ownership of a 60-acre parcel of mature forest off Jackson Lake Road. The forest, acquired by GPC with Conservation Futures funding in March of 2024, will be folded into the larger Haley property under Washington State Parks ownership, bringing the total acreage to 330 acres. The 60-acre parcel carries a conservation easement that prohibits alteration of its natural habitat, though the development of low-impact trails would be allowed.

Olyvia Buday, South Sound Area Manager for Washington State Parks, said the focus at the Haley property remains on the previously planned improvement of the existing trail, including a small parking lot, restroom, and picnic shelter near the road. She said the agency anticipates having all necessary permits this winter and aims for construction in 2026.

Buday said they are still in the process of officially naming the property.

Washington State Parks also purchased a 0.48-acre parcel in the Delano Beach area in February, adding to the southern border of Penrose Point State Park. The purchase was funded by a grant from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office.

“We have been acquiring parcels and adding to the park’s acreage for the last several years,” Buday said. “The Delano Beach area acquisitions are part of a larger plan to acquire properties within the Commission’s designated long-term boundary for Penrose.”

For GPC, which owns and stewards several natural preserves on the Key Peninsula, as well as holding several conservation easements on privately owned forest and farmland, Filucy Bay Preserve remains an active focus for continued expansion.

“We are currently working with landowners to expand protections within the Filucy Bay watershed in the next few years,” Querin of GPC said.

Stewardship actions have included volunteer work parties to control invasive species and maintain newly planted trees.

GPC is researching restoration options for its McDermott Point Preserve, at the entrance of Filucy Bay, to improve salmon habitat and restore a small tidal embayment. With the support of local volunteers and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, GPC conducts monthly surveys on McDermott Point for forage fish populations to better understand the spawning habits of sand lance and surf smelt.

“In 2025, GPC’s work exemplified what makes local conservation efforts so powerful, especially in places like the Key Peninsula,” Querin said. “This work is made possible by the many contributions of dedicated partners — especially Key Pen Parks and State Parks, GPC volunteers, and willing landowners leaving a legacy of protected land.

“Together, we’re protecting the many spaces that make Key Pen such a wonderful place to live and explore, while supporting the natural systems that support our larger region.”