Index group secures funding to preserve forested ridge

Snohomish County is expected to pitch in $700,000 to preserve a mountain ridge near Index from logging.

The contribution should allow a grassroots group of Index residents and outdoor enthusiasts to buy the 130-acre property called Heybrook Ridge.

The group has already secured $550,000 in donations with most of it coming from a $500,000 anonymous donation, said Louise Lindgren, of Index, who has led the group.

W.B. Foresters Inc., of Stanwood, which owns the property, has agreed to sell the ridge as long as the group can raise about $1.21 million.

In late 2006, W.B. Foresters in Stanwood proposed logging Heybrook Ridge, saying that alders in the area are mature and need to be logged before they die. People in Index protested, saying that the logging would ruin the area’s scenic view and lower their property values. The company later withdrew its logging application after state officials determined there is fish habitat in the area.