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The Paradise Valley Conservation area acquisitions will conserve the headwaters of Bear Creek in Snohomish County. Bear Creek is one of the most productive wild salmonid stream basins in Western Washington. Bear Creek Basin is only 50 sq. miles in area but is host to tens of thousands of spawning salmon (chinook, coho, sockeye, kokanee, steelhead, and cutthroat) each fall. Over 70,000 wild adult salmonids returned to spawn in the fall of 1996. The Paradise Valley conservation area is about 1100 acres in size . It is comprised primarily of second growth forest, large wetlands, some salmonid spawning and prime rearing areas, and habitat for many other species of wildlife. The goal for the conservation area is to conserve the significant natural resources in the area through cooperative fee purchases, easements, and property tax incentives with the property owners. The regional significance of the area is recognized in the Bear Creek basin plan developed jointly by Snohomish County, King County, City of Redmond, and the community. In 1996, the Sammamish Watershed Forum, a regional body made up of elected officials from cities in the Sammamish Watershed and Snohomish and King Counties also identified and ranked the Paradise Valley Conservation area project as one of the top priorities in its 20 year vision for the Sammamish Watershed. This grant will purchase a portion of one conservation area.
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