As described in the 2022 Turtleback Mountain Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan (SMP), the Conservation Land Bank will decommission a portion of the trail that leads up the steep southern slope. The trail is unsustainable due to the steep grade and to severe erosion caused by increasingly heavy winter rainfall.
Moreover, it contributes to fragmentation of important Garry oak savanna habitat that the Land Bank plans to restore in the future.
This project is scheduled for implementation in late September 2023 and will coincide with extensive improvements to the Morning Ridge Trail. Also described in the SMP, the Morning Ridge work will be completed in collaboration with the Washington Trails Association (WTA) and will enhance both walkability and views. In 2024, the Land Bank will begin work on a new trail that will lead southward from the Morning Ridge trailhead.
These changes mark key steps in the Land Bank’s ongoing efforts to improve trails for low-intensity recreation while supporting biodiversity in the face of climate change. The Orcas Preserve Steward will lead two tours of the work area for interested members of the public at 5:30pm on Friday, September 1 and Wednesday, September 6. Please meet at the South Entrance parking lot.