Capitol Land Trust

Capitol Land Trust (CLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization headquartered in Olympia, Washington. It works in the South Puget Sound and Chehalis Basin watersheds, using land acquisition, conservation easements, stewardship, and partnerships to protect ecologically important places and working lands. Its stated mission is to strategically conserve vital natural areas and working lands for their ecological and community benefits. The organization was established on September 9, 1987, and received tax-exempt status in April 1994. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer brand, CLT functions as a regional conservation institution: its public identity is associated with permanent land protection, habitat conservation, community access, and long-term stewardship. Its work spans Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties in Washington state. CLT protects land through several mechanisms. It may own properties outright, hold conservation easements that permanently restrict development while allowing compatible private ownership and land use, or protect land through other conservation arrangements. By 2025, the organization reported responsibility for 6,538 acres owned, under easement, or protected through other means. These protected landscapes contribute to habitat connectivity, watershed health, wildlife movement, working-land preservation, and public appreciation of natural areas. The organization manages four public nature preserves: Bayshore Preserve, Darlin Creek Preserve, Hilburn Preserve, and Randall Preserve. These sites range from a small preserve near Eld Inlet to a substantially larger landscape near the Black River, and provide public opportunities to experience protected forests, shorelines, wetlands, and other natural environments. Public access is one part of CLT's broader conservation model, which also includes protecting properties that may not function as public parks but have significant ecological or agricultural value. A notable recent project was announced in 2025, when CLT partnered with Conservation Northwest and Port Blakely Tree Farms to establish a permanent conservation easement over 2,357 acres near Capitol State Forest. The reported $8 million project was intended to help preserve wildlife movement between the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges while maintaining a large protected landscape in the South Puget Sound region. CLT's financial scale reflects that of a regional nonprofit rather than a listed commercial enterprise. In 2023, it reported $3.12 million in revenue, $1.31 million in expenses, and $23.5 million in total assets. Its conservation work depends on charitable support, landowner relationships, public and private partnerships, and the legal and stewardship infrastructure required to maintain protected land over the long term.

Capitol Land Trust was founded on September 9, 1987, in Olympia, Washington, to advance land conservation in the southwest Washington region. It later received federal tax-exempt status in April 1994 as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its geographic focus developed around the South Puget Sound and Chehalis Basin watersheds, including Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties. The organization operates as a land trust rather than as a commercial product company. Its principal tools are fee-simple ownership, conservation easements, and other legally enforceable arrangements that keep important landscapes from being developed or degraded. This model allows CLT to protect forests, shorelines, wetlands, wildlife habitat, and working lands while managing properties and easements over the long term. CLT's public-facing conservation portfolio includes four preserves: Bayshore Preserve, Darlin Creek Preserve, Hilburn Preserve, and Randall Preserve. These properties are open to the public and represent different scales and ecological settings. Bayshore Preserve encompasses 78 acres near the western shore of Oakland Bay. Darlin Creek Preserve covers 312 acres near Black River. Hilburn Preserve contains 10 acres near Shelton, while Randall Preserve covers 7 acres near the southern end of Eld Inlet. The trust's work also extends beyond its publicly accessible preserves. By 2025, CLT reported that 6,538 acres were owned, protected by conservation easements, or conserved through other means. This broader portfolio reflects the land-trust approach of combining public conservation properties with privately held land subject to permanent conservation restrictions. In 2025, CLT joined Conservation Northwest and Port Blakely Tree Farms in a major conservation project near Capitol State Forest. The partnership placed 2,357 acres under a permanent conservation easement in a transaction reported at $8 million. The project was described as potentially important for maintaining wildlife access between the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, linking a large working landscape with a wider regional habitat network. The organization remains active as a regional nonprofit conservation institution. Its resources include protected land and easement interests as well as the operational capacity needed for monitoring, stewardship, public engagement, and partnership development. In 2023, CLT reported $3.12 million in revenue, $1.31 million in expenses, and $23.5 million in total assets. These figures describe the nonprofit's financial position for that year and are not commercial sales or market capitalization.

• 2025

  2,357-acre conservation easement established

  [1]Capitol Land Trusten.wikipedia.org

  CLT partnered with Conservation Northwest and Port Blakely Tree Farms to protect 2,357 acres near Capitol State Forest through a permanent conservation easement.

• 2023

  Reported nonprofit financial position

  [1]Capitol Land Trusten.wikipedia.org

  CLT reported $3.12 million in revenue, $1.31 million in expenses, and $23.5 million in total assets for 2023.

• 1994

  Tax-exempt status recognized

  [1]Capitol Land Trusten.wikipedia.org

  The organization became tax-exempt as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in April 1994.

• 1987

  Organization founded

  [1]Capitol Land Trusten.wikipedia.org

  Capitol Land Trust was founded on September 9, 1987, in Olympia, Washington.

A regional nonprofit land trust focused on permanent conservation of natural areas, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and working lands in southwest Washington.

• Public nature preserve

  Bayshore Preserve

  A 78-acre public preserve near the western shore of Oakland Bay in Washington. It is one of Capitol Land Trust's publicly managed conservation properties and contributes to shoreline and habitat protection while providing an opportunity for public access to a protected natural landscape.

• Public nature preserve

  Darlin Creek Preserve

  A 312-acre public preserve near Black River. It is the largest of the four public preserves identified in the available reference material and represents CLT's role in protecting extensive natural areas while maintaining public access.

• Public nature preserve

  Hilburn Preserve

  A 10-acre public nature preserve near Shelton, Washington. The preserve forms part of CLT's network of publicly accessible conservation lands and supports the organization's local stewardship and community conservation mission.

• Public nature preserve

  Randall Preserve

  A 7-acre public preserve near the southern end of Eld Inlet. Although relatively small, it is part of the trust's portfolio of protected sites offering public access to conserved landscapes in the South Puget Sound region.

• Land-conservation instrument

  Permanent conservation easements

  Legally enforceable conservation arrangements used to protect land from incompatible development while ownership may remain with another party. CLT uses easements as part of its broader strategy to conserve wildlife habitat, watersheds, natural areas, and working lands over the long term.

• 2025

  Permanent protection of land near Capitol State ForestStrategy

  Background

  A 2,357-acre area near Capitol State Forest was identified as important for maintaining habitat and potential wildlife movement between the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges.

  Action taken

  Capitol Land Trust worked with Conservation Northwest and Port Blakely Tree Farms to establish a permanent conservation easement over the property.

  Aftermath

  The project expanded the region's permanently protected conservation landscape and was reported as potentially strengthening wildlife connectivity.

  Reported project value. $8 million (2025)

  Source

1. 1Capitol Land Trusten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Capitol Land Trust official websitecapitollandtrust.org