As pressure for development pushes deeper into our forests, tensions between developers and environmentalists can reach the breaking point.
Voices of reason and leadership are what’s needed, and they’re being supplied in impressive measure by the Cascade Land Conservancy.
The CLC, a private, nonprofit group, works to preserve natural spaces in the Cascade foothills of Snohomish, King and Pierce counties, and it does so in a creative, cooperative way that respects nature and landowners. Since 1999, the group has helped protect from development some 10,000 acres in Snohomish County alone. Its methods combine federal funding, private donations and the willing sale of development rights, creating win-win situations that preserve landscapes, ecosystems and forestry jobs.
In October, the CLC brokered a deal between the state Department of Natural Resources and Hancock Timber Resource Group for the protection of nearly 8,000 acres of forest near the Skykomish River south of Gold Bar. Under the agreement, Hancock agreed to sell 7,900 acres to private individuals, who in turn will sell a conservation easement to the DNR for $2.4 million — money that was provided through a federal grant. The easement forbids development on the land while allowing continued timber harvesting. Larger buffers also will be required along the Skykomish and its tributaries, protecting salmon habitat.
This land is adjacent to a 410-acre site previously purchased by the conservancy, creating a protected area along the river nearly three miles long.
Support for these efforts comes from private business as well as government leaders. Seattle-based HomeStreet Bank is a supporter, realizing that business benefits from efforts to preserve our natural heritage because it enhances our quality of life. That’s the surest route to sustainable economic growth over the long run.
And the long run is what good environmental stewardship is about. As former Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel said at the CLC’s Conservation Breakfast in Everett on Monday, it’s about investing in our children’s future, rather than spending their environmental inheritance.
Combining passion with pragmatism, environmental protection with entrepreneurial flair, the Cascade Land Conservancy is working effectively to preserve that future without sacrificing the present.
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