INDEX — Snohomish County is expected to pitch in $700,000 to preserve a mountain ridge near Index, bringing joy to local residents and outdoor enthusiasts who have fought to spare the area from logging.
Supporters of Heybrook Ridge say they are getting ready to buy the 130-acre parcel for $1.21 million. They already have raised about $550,000, including $500,000 from an anonymous donor, said Louise Lindgren, a longtime Index resident who led the effort to preserve the ridge.
“We are astounded; we are delighted,” Lindgren said of the county’s contribution.
W.B. Foresters in Stanwood, which owns the ridge, has agreed to sell the land at the fair market value, said Debbie Buse, the company’s business manager.
“I’m thrilled it’s coming together for them,” Buse said.
The Snohomish County Council is set to decide on Monday whether to set aside $700,000 from the county’s conservation fund to preserve Heybrook Ridge. Council chairman Dave Somers said the council is likely to approve the spending.
“I don’t think there will be a problem,” said Somers, whose district includes Index.
The Cascade Land Conservancy, a Seattle-based nonprofit group, plans to facilitate the land’s purchase. Eventually, the county’s parks department plans to manage the area. Officials hope to provide educational programs about the ecosystem there.
The ridge is located near the federal Wild Sky Wilderness, which was designated earlier this year.
In 2006, W.B. Foresters announced its plan to log the ridge just south of Index off U.S. 2 in the Skykomish River Valley. The proposal met strong opposition from Index residents who feared logging would ruin the area’s scenic views and lower their property values.
Afterward, the company withdrew its logging application. State officials had raised concerns about fish habitat in the area.
“We’ve never had this kind of opposition to forest practice,” Buse said.
The logging company plans to buy a different area to log, using the money from the sale of Heybrook Ridge, Buse said.
“Hopefully, we will be able to find a satisfactory replacement,” she said.
Index, a town of about 150 people, was incorporated in 1907. In its early days, the town thrived on logging and mining.
Things have changed, Lindgren said.
“Recreation is our economic base,” she said.
Index has been struggling to add new businesses, Somers said. Preserving the town’s beautiful environment could help Index thrive.
“This will be a great boon for the economy of the town,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Get involved
The Snohomish County Council plans to decide Monday whether to pitch in $700,000 to preserve a ridge from logging. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. on the eighth floor of the county’s east administration building at 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.
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