A proposed eagle preserve in the French Creek Estuary is closer to realization thanks to a $28,000 donation from 100+ Women Who Care Oceanside.
The gift will help a fundraising campaign by the Friends of French Creek Conservation and Save Estuary Land societies to purchase five acres as part of the preserve, which would be the first of its kind on the Island.
The land is privately owned by French Creek House Ltd., which has offered to gift over 12 acres to the project and sell the remaining five. The campaign to purchase the land has raised $180,000 of the $500,000 goal so far, according to a media release from the Save Estuary Land Society.
The 12-acre land donation will coincide with the purchase of the five acres when the campaign reaches its goal, according to Denise Foster, chair of the Save Estuary Land Society.
“We’re so fortunate to live in Oceanside with its beautiful coast and abundance of nature. Being surrounded by nature’s beauty helped many of us cope with COVID-19. Now it’s our turn to help nature cope with climate change,” Foster said. “We’re incredibly grateful to the 100+ Women Who Care Oceanside for doing just that with their generous donation.”
French Creek estuary land is a rich, biodiverse ecosystem supporting thousands of wildlife that come for food, water, shelter and to raise their young including, 19 identified species at risk such as peregrine falcons, great blue herons, marbled murrelets and Townsend’s big-eared bats, according to the release.
