CLC Conserved several inholdings in the area

The Cascade Land Conservancy today praised the work of the Washington Congressional delegation in their successful effort to create the 106,000-acre Wild Sky Wilderness area in Snohomish County.

The Conservancy has been active in working to secure inholdings in the area for a number of years.  Inholdings are small “islands” of privately owned property completely surrounded by the public lands.

“This is a great asset now preserved for the people of Washington and Snohomish County,” said Nick Harper, the Conservancy’s Conservation Director in Snohomish County.  “We have been proud to play a small part in the completion of this wilderness area.”

“Imagine a wilderness area just a short drive from Seattle,” said Maryanne Tagney Jones, Board Chair of the Conservancy.  “This is a wonderful addition to the quality of life we all cherish in this region.”

Earlier this year, the CLC purchased 480 acres above Wallace Falls, one of the largest inholdings in the Wilderness Area.  The property was purchased from Longview Timberlands, which worked hand in hand with CLC to make the purchase possible.

CLC will hold the Wallace Falls property while efforts move forward on an appropriation request of $1.7 million to the U.S. Forest Service for eventual purchase and inclusion in the wilderness area.

The Wallace River properties are a high priority.  These wild lands support a diversity of habitat including mature forests, high alpine rocky terrain, low elevation riparian, forested and shrub wetlands.  The property features habitat for spotted owl, mountain goat, black bear and cougar. The Wallace River is a tributary to the Skykomish River, considered one of Western Washington’s most important watersheds for salmon.

“We are proud to be part of this project,” said Blake Rowe of Longview Timberlands. "It's enormously satisfying to have achieved this goal linking conservation with working forests."

In 2005, the Conservancy purchased about 200 acres in the Jump Off Ridge area of the wilderness area. CLC was able to acquire the land through generous donations from The Cascade Conservation Partnership, the Mountaineers Foundation and other private donations. The land will be transferred to the U.S. Forest Service to be managed as part of the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

In 2006, the Wilderness Land Trust purchased 113 acres in the Bitter Creek area of Wild Sky. The acquisition will enable the permanent closure of the three miles of road.

The Wild Sky Wilderness Area, championed by Rep. Rick Larsen (D. 2^nd District) as well as many cities, towns, conservation groups and recreationalists, passed in the House April 29.  The U.S. Senate passed the measure April 10 due in large part to the hard work of Senator Patty Murray.  President Bush is expected to sign the legislation within a few weeks.

The Wild Sky Wilderness Area includes about 106,000 acres in east Snohomish County, including rare, low-elevation old-growth forests and 25 miles of salmon streams. An estimated 2.4 million people live within an easy drive of the proposed wilderness area.

The acquisition of inholdings assists the wilderness effort  by helping to simplify land ownership patterns, which will allow the Forest Service to manage the area for its wild characteristics.

Wilderness areas and the Conservancy’s work on inholdings also serve the goals of The Cascade Agenda.  The agenda is a 100-year visionary regional program to conserve 1.3 million acres of working forests and farmlands and revitalize cities and towns throughout the Pacific Northwest region around Seattle. Wild Sky means 106,000 acres are not in a preserved status.