Home - Friends of Rocky Prairie

Legal Battle Under Way to Save Rocky Prairie

We have hired an attorney to help prevent any illegal or unpermitted use of this property and would greatly appreciate contributions to our legal fund.

Please donate if you can to:

FORP
PO Box 140
Tenino, WA 98589.

Many thanks to all who contacted County Commissioners in support of the rezone of the Maytown property.

Our Commissioners have directed staff to prepare an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan reflecting the new density that we requested.

The official vote won't come until August, but we are pleased that they heard and respected citizens' opinions.

Friends of Rocky Prairie is an all-volunteer group of homeowners and residents in Thurston County, Washington (including the communities of Maytown and Tenino), concerned about preserving the rural character and unique prairie habitat in south Thurston County.

Of particular concern is 745 acres known as the Maytown property, located 13 miles south of Olympia and ½ mile from historic Millersylvania State Park. Once owned by the Port of Tacoma, this property is in danger of being turned into a gravel mine with other industries on site.

Rocky Prairie forms a rare habitat matrix unique to Western Washington. This fragile environment includes rare oak woodland, wetlands, and native outwash prairie and is home to numerous state and federally threatened and endangered species. The prairie lies within the important Black River watershed, an area that agency and organizational partners have been working for years to protect. Rocky Prairie also forms the headwaters for two salmon-bearing streams running through it, and its hydrology is important to hundreds of residents living nearby.

Brief History: The WA. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy, spent 15 years attempting to acquire the entire 1,650 acres of valuable habitat. In 2006, approximately 800 acres of Rocky Prairie were purchased for conservation and restoration purposes.

Also in 2006, the Port of Tacoma, in cooperation with the Port of Olympia, purchased the remaining 745 acres of this biologically diverse area to develop the South Sound Logistic Center (see Background). Their plans contained numerous possibilities,including a rail switching yard, chemical manufacturing plant, solid waste transfer station, warehousing and a truck-to-rail distribution site. This would have created a massive 24-hour-per-day industrial complex the size of Olympia, and would inundate roads from Olympia to South Thurston County with 1000’s of trucks and blocked railroad crossings.

Friends of Rocky Prairie believed this facility was a serious threat to this rare prairie environment, to Millersylvania State Park, to the Black River watershed, and to the rural treasure of South Thurston County.

In June of 2008, Friends of Rocky Prairie were successful in helping the Ports of Olympia and Tacoma realize that an SSLC was not a good idea for South Thurston County. Friends of Rocky Prairie then began working with state and federal agencies and non-profit conservation organizations to preserve this unique habitat into the future. Among the groups we're working with:

In April 2010, the Port of Tacoma sold the property to a southern California developer who formed a company called Maytown Sand & Gravel. He wants to use the old (and we believe out-of-compliance) Special Use Permit (SUP) to mine gravel, as well as havie other industries on the site. In addition, the purchase and sale agreement references a possible 65-acre rail-yard in the future.

We have engaged legal counsel to help prevent any illegal or unpermitted use of this property and would greatly appreciate contributions to this legal fund.

For information and updates, or to join us, email: FORPrairie@hotmail.com

We have no overhead, no paid staff. ALL contributions go to preserve Rocky Prairie.