Capitol Land Trust (CLT) invites the public to the grand opening of the interpretive trail at Randall Preserve on Mud Bay, an event that also launches 2018 Washington Shellfish Week. The public will join CLT and its partners for this free event for the whole family.
Date: Sunday, April 15, 2018
Time: 3 – 5 p.m., remarks and ribbon cutting at 4 p.m.
Location: Randall Preserve – 4939 Mud Bay Road NW, Olympia, WA 98502
Parking is available in front of Bay Mercantile and next to Randall Preserve. Overflow parking is available at the nearby Mud Bay Park & Ride.
Partners make it happen
This open house at the preserve and neighboring Bay Mercantile will include a ribbon cutting and brief remarks by community leaders at Randall Preserve at 4 p.m. Event participants will enjoy shellfish treats prepared by Chelsea Farms and Taylor Shellfish Farms, stroll along the new interpretive trail, get their book signed by Cynthia Nims, kids can explore the wonders of shellfish with Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, and more!
Transforming the overused shoreline into a little gem at the ‘toe of Puget Sound’
At the southern-most end of Puget Sound on Eld Inlet is Randall Preserve — an oasis of tideland estuary and shoreline that you’ve seen from your car window every time you pass by on 101 or Mud Bay Road. The new interpretive trail brings to life the story of the land, how it is being transformed, and its important role in keeping Puget Sound healthy. With partners, Capitol Land Trust demolished several dilapidated buildings on the land and removed hundreds of tires armoring the shoreline. Its shores are now high-quality habitat for migratory birds, shellfish, animals and the spawning salmon at the City of Olympia’s nearby Allison Springs.
Randall Preserve is just one of the five preserves that Capitol Land Trust is improving with trails to make open to the public as part of a larger effort to help our community experience the natural places just steps from the city limits.
Washington Shellfish Week April 15 – April 21
Events are scheduled throughout the week and are open to the public. Randall Preserve Trail Grand Opening; WA Sea Grant’s Shellfish Trail; Hama Hama Oyster Rama; Long Beach Razor Clam Festival; shellfish dining specials at Anthony’s Restaurants and Pickled Fish; beach-walks and workshops with Harbor WildWatch; shellfish exhibit at the Puget Sound Estuarium, and more.
For a calendar of events, visit: https://aquaculture.wsg.uw.edu/events/2018-04/
“Washingtonians make hundreds of thousands of trips each year to harvest razor clams on the coast and clams and oysters throughout Puget Sound. Tribal communities have harvested shellfish for generations, feeding their communities with healthy protein from Puget Sound and coastal shores where many continue to make a living and practice a way of life. The shellfish industry is a foundation of Western Washington’s rural economy and an important part of our state’s heritage.” – Pacific Shellfish Growers’ Association
Capitol Land Trust
At Capitol Land Trust, we envision a future for southwest Washington where people, animals, and natural habitats thrive because the community — private citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies — has invested in conservation of our natural places and resources.
Our goal is to ensure that our region is a place with clean water to drink and clean air to breathe; a place with healthy populations of native fish and wildlife; a place where the economy is robust, sustainable, and stronger because people want to live and work here; a place where the natural environment inspires curiosity and hope for the people who live here.
