McArdle Bay Conservation Easement

Lopez Island

In early 2024, we completed the bargain-sale purchase of a conservation easement that permanently protects a key stretch of habitat-rich shoreline and 12 acres of upland forest and open meadow in McArdle Bay, one of the most naturally intact bays along the spectacular southern coast of Lopez Island.   

The property provides wildlife habitat with close connection to hundreds of acres of other protected lands in the area, including Watmough Bay and Chadwick Hill. The beach and eelgrass beds just offshore contribute to high-quality habitat for juvenile salmon and forage fish that thrive throughout the bay. A $416,250 grant from the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board provided essential funding for the project, along with additional funding from the Preservation Trust.  

We are grateful to the four landowners, Derek Eisel and Abe Gates, and Robin Reid and Cathy Wilson, who made a generous donation by selling the property’s development rights at well below their assessed value.