Two miles northwest of Hansville, near the tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, a stand of 70-foot-tall red alders welcomes visitors to the Foulweather Bluff Preserve. Just beyond this stand is another grove, where second-growth Douglas fir and western red cedar predominate.

Once common in the wet bottomlands of Western Washington, old-growth forests containing redcedar have declined significantly during the 20th century. Protected from future logging by The Nature Conservancy of Washington, the cedars near Hansville will eventually dominate the preserve's forest.

The lowland forest, with its lush native understory of ocean spray, salmonberry, sword fern and salal, supports many different bird species. Winter wrens inhabit the forest floor, red-breasted nuthatches work the tree trunks, and chestnut-backed chickadees forage for insects on the conifer boughs. The ringing call of the pileated woodpecker resounds through the trees.

The forest, however, is just one of several distinct habitats at Foulweather Bluff. The preserve's single most important feature is its brackish marsh, where great blue heron silently stalk their prey and bald eagles and osprey soar effortlessly overhead. Within the marsh is a mosaic of wetland plants, with common spike-rush and seacoast bulrush at one end and hardstem bulrush and cattail at the other.

The marsh and its surrounding watershed are separated from the salt water of Hood Canal by a raised barrier of sand. Beyond this natural berm, a 3,700-foot-long beach draws hikers and nature enthusiasts, and extensive tideflats offer opportunities for close examination of intertidal life. Near shore, white and black bufflehead ducks court every spring. In winter, loons, grebes, scoters and other seabirds raft Hood Canal's cold waters.

The combination of forest, marsh, beach and sea makes the Foulweather Bluff Preserve one of the most valuable wildlife havens on the Kitsap Peninsula. In the early 1930s, after most old-growth forests on the peninsula had been logged, Dr. Erroll Rawson and his brother Ralph purchased 86 acres between Hood Canal and Twin Spits Road. The upland area, which surrounds the biologically productive marsh, regenerated naturally and by the mid-1960s, a mixed second-growth forest was well established.

The Rawsons' desire to protect the area's wildlife led them to donate the property south of Twin Spits road to The Nature Conservancy, establishing the Foulweather Bluff Preserve in 1967. Erroll Rawson then worked with four other public-spirited families in the area who donated additional acreage to the preserve. He later established a trust fund for the long-term management of the preserve.

Today the preserve contains 100 acres of marsh, beach and woodland. It stands as a testimonial to the vision of Dr. Rawson and a committed group of landowners who ensured wildlife a continuing home at Foulweather Bluff.