North Maury Wildlands
On Vashon and Maury, conserved natural spaces go by many names — preserves, forests, natural areas. So, why "wildlands"?
Names are powerful. The North Maury Wildlands is both an homage to the landowner who pieced together this assemblage and a statement of intention for their future management. Joe Van Os has been a force in conservation for decades. When he landed on North Maury, he was living in a trailer in the woods while building Van Os Photo Safaris, leading groups around the world to capture nature on film and using the profits to purchase adjacent land. His careful budgeting allowed him to preserve over 50 acres of forest and shoreline, and it only seemed right to name the preserve after the wildlands he cherishes so much.
The name is also a commitment to keep these lands wild. Our Stewardship Crew will monitor the property and tackle invasive plants, but otherwise we will leave it as undisturbed habitat. The upland forests are dominated by Western hemlocks — a struggling species on the island — and are home to Northern flying squirrels, shy nocturnal creatures that nest in tree cavities created by woodpeckers. Removing invasive species like English ivy will help keep these trees healthy and the canopy intact.
The Wildlands also protect about a third of a mile of pristine, unarmored shoreline. Vashon is home to 90% of King County's unarmored shorelines, and this stretch is vital to the broader Salish Sea food web. The north-facing beach is ideal spawning habitat for surf smelt, which depend on the shade of overhanging vegetation and fine-grained sand deposited by an eroding feeder bluff. These forage fish are a crucial part of the diet of larger fish, seabirds, and endangered Chinook salmon. The bluffs also shelter breeding Belted Kingfishers and Pigeon Guillemots — and it's for their benefit that this beach will remain wild for generations to come.
Access:
The North Maury Wildlands does not have trails, and is being preserved as wildlife habitat.