Area: 152 acres
Location: Clallam County, WA
Date Acquired: 2013
Acquisition Type: Center for Natural Lands Management owns the preserve. We protect and manage species and habitats on the preserve in perpetuity
Key Habitats: North Pacific Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland, North Pacific Herbaceous Bald and Bluff.
Species of Special Interest to CNLM: Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly(Euphydryas editha taylori), harsh paintbrush (Castilleja hispida) and Shortspur seablush (Plectritus congesta)
Conservation Significance
CNLM’s Dan Kelly Ridge Preserve is 152-acre property in Clallam County, Washington overlooking the Elwha River and in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains. The Preserve is located on a steep south-facing slope and contains grassland balds and Douglas-fir forest. The Preserve is contiguous with Washington Department of Natural Resources land to the northeast, which provides habitat connectivity.
Our Work
Photo Credit: Rod Gilbert
Dan Kelly Ridge protects one of the last remaining wild populations of Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori), a federally-endangered species. The Preserve contains multiple balds with checkerspot larval and nectaring species, including harsh paintbrush (Castillejahispida), Shortspur seablush (Plectritus congesta), and plantain (Plantagolanceolata). Nectar sources include a variety of native forbs and shrubs including wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), longleaf mahonia (Berberis nervosa), trailing Pacific blackberry (Rubusursinus), and stonecrop (Sedum spp.).
The Preserve consists of grassland balds, shrubland, and Douglas-fir forest.
The primary management goal for the Dan Kelly Ridge Preserve is to protect the population of federal-endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and enhance areas adjacent to current bald vegetation through removal of invading Douglas-fir saplings. CNLM will monitor the listed species and habitat on-site to help identify threats and population changes.
Public Access
Because of the vulnerability of the species and habitats that exist on this preserve, it is not open to the public.
Contact
For information about Dan Kelly Ridge Preserve or Center for Natural Lands Management please contact Sanders Freed, Pacific Northwest Preserve/Restoration Manager at sfreed@cnlm.org or 760.731.7790 extension 304.