Grummett Wetlands
Grummett Wetlands, 2018
This morning a friend and I explored the Grummett Wetlands on snowshoes. It was easy to access, following an opening from the road and somewhat of a trail through the CBJ property towards Grummett. We mostly kept to the periphery of the meadows and avoided negotiating the understory of the spruce/hemlock forested areas. We saw many tracks on our outing including deer, hare, mouse, shrew, and squirrel. It’s a beautiful spot!
Click map to enlarge.
JUNEAU | 13.25 ACRES | CONSERVED IN 2020
The Grummett Wetlands parcel is adjacent to the southern edge of the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge on the north side of Douglas Island, in Juneau. This property is located within the extent of lands traditionally owned, used, and named by the L’eeneidí Clan of the Tlingit Áak’w Kwáan or People of Auke Lake Region (Douglas Indian Association, 2017). The Douglas Indian Association has documented extensive traditional subsistence uses near this property, especially saltwater fishing.
The property now known as the Grummett Wetlands came into federal ownership and later was owned by Henry Hendrickson, who homesteaded his property (this parcel plus the surrounding acreage) with his family from 1914 to 1929. Upon Henry Hendrickson’s death in 1945, the homestead was divided amongst his three children (Arnot, Waino, and Hilda) and one granddaughter (Doreen Anderson). Waino Hendrickson eventually sold his parcel to Michael Grummett and John Stevenson in 1971.
John Stevenson subsequently sold his interest in the property to Michael Grummett in 1983, and Michael Grummett later donated the parcel to Earthjustice (formerly Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, Inc.) in 1993. The Grummett Wetlands was successfully purchased by the Southeast Alaska Land Trust from Earthjustice on July 29, 2020, using funds received through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetland mitigation program.
The Grummett Wetlands property is sandwiched between the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge and a 108-acre parcel of conservation property owned by the City and Borough of Juneau. It’s also directly adjacent to the City and Borough of Juneau designated Scenic Viewshed. Travelers along Glacier Highway will be familiar with its 505 feet of shoreline.
These wetlands are a portion of one of the only undeveloped upland boundaries next to the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge making it a significant refuge for wildlife, as well as a unique place for wildlife to access the Refuge and its habitat resources. The property contains natural wetland habitat, upland forests, and undeveloped shoreline and contains unique and critically important habitat for many species, especially Sitka black-tailed deer, black bear, and numerous bird species.
The Grummett Wetlands are used for low-impact recreation, such as hiking, wildlife viewing, birding, photography, scientific and educational studies, and sightseeing. The Grummett Wetlands are free and open for the enjoyment of the public.
Who was Mike Grummett?
Mike Grummett played a crucial role in developing the Southeast Alaska Land Trust into a strong and successful conservation organization. Mike was one of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust’s earliest Board members, serving on the Board of Directors from 1998 to 2012. His tireless efforts during the organization’s infancy resulted in some of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust’s most recognizable conservation easements, including our two largest easements, the Gunnuk Creek North and South easements in Kake, and that of the well-loved Jensen-Olson Arboretum, in Juneau. Mike was also instrumental in establishing the protocol for working with upland landowners around the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, in Juneau. Because of Mike’s work, the Southeast Alaska Land Trust now conserves over 100 acres of wetlands that buffer the Refuge.
Mike was a life-long resident of Juneau. He passed away in 2016. Because of Mike’s efforts to conserve this and so many other Southeast Alaska lands, we knew that we had to name this property after him once it was under permanent conservation. We are proud to have fulfilled Mike’s wish of seeing this land, now known as the Grummett Wetlands, preserved in its natural state – forever.
My years with SEALT, especially the early years traveling in Southeast to help establish
our first conservation easements, will be with me always.
Mike Grummett, August 20, 2003