Congress Saves Central Cascade Forest

$8.6 Million protects 4,700 acres of critical forest habitat
by Sean Carman

Last November, following strong protests from local environmental activists, Congress and the Plum Creek Timber Company agreed at the last minute to remove 4,700 acres of critical forest lands in the Central Cascades from the I-90 land exchange. The 4,700 acres included 1,400 acres of old growth forest, three miles of riparian forest along the Yakima River critical to salmon habitat, and forest lands surrounding the Kendall Peak Lakes. Including these lands in the exchange would have transferred them to Plum Creek, a notoriously destructive timber company. Instead, Plum Creek agreed to place the lands in escrow and hold them open for sale for three years. The move provided a temporary respite for the properties but still left them in peril.

This October Congress came to the rescue, appropriating $8.6 million for the outright purchase of all 4,700 acres escrowed from the land exchange. The appropriation, which President Clinton signed into law on October 11, provides for the permanent protection of the lands. The $8.6 million appropriation is part of an $18.8 billion Congressional appropriation for nationwide acquisition of pristine lands through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The $18.8 billion appropriation represents the greatest increase in conservation spending in the nation's history. The $8.6 million appropriation for the Cascades escrow lands was the second largest grant to Washington State through the LWCF this year, and the fifth-largest nationally.

Checked pathworks denote public-private land ownership in the Cascades.

Here in Washington the appropriation for the escrow lands represents a victory for the Cascades Conservation Partnership (the "Partnership"), which is an ambitious Seattle public-private endeavor dedicated to raising funds over the next three years to acquire 75,000 acres of privately-held Cascades forest lands. The purchase of all 75,000 acres targeted by the Partnership would create a connected corridor of wildlife habitat from the North Cascades Alpine Lakes to Mt. Rainier. The preservation and expansion of landscape-scale wildlife habitat is critical to long-term wildlife survival in the Cascades region. The Congressional appropriation for the escrow lands handed the Partnership an early victory in its ambitious campaign.

The victory also came as a pleasant surprise for local environmentalists. Senator Slade Gorton, a key member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, had promised to allocate no more than $5 million for the purchase of the escrow lands, which would have left a $3.6 million shortfall. In response, the Partnership organized a letter-writing campaign that flooded the Council on Environmental Quality, the environmental policy arm for the White House, with 4,000 post cards and letters demanding funding for the purchase of the escrowed Cascades forest lands. In September Gorton agreed to support the full $8.6 million appropriation.

Additional support came from Presidential candidate Al Gore, who specifically mentioned the Partnership in a joint interview with George W. Bush in the September-October issue of Audobon Magazine. "By fully funding the LWCF," Gore said, "we can acquire key inholdings such as those in the central Cascade Range of Washington State. If elected, I will provide federal funds to support the Cascade Conservation Partnership in my first budget request to Congress." Sources at the Partnership said they believed Gore's reference to their campaign helped secure the Congressional appropriation for the escrow lands.

The Partnership's next goal is to secure $10 million for the purchase of additional privately-held forest lands in the Cascades. One critical parcel, known as Fossil Creek, is owned by Plum Creek and is particularly rich in old-growth forest that provides critical wildlife habitat. Fossil Creek was also excluded from last year's land exchange at the last minute, but Plum Creek did not agree to place that land in escrow. Instead, Plum Creek announced that while it would remain a willing seller, it would proceed with plans to log the area. As this article goes to press Plum Creek has begun logging Fossil Creek, removing ancient trees more than 100 years old. The Partnership hopes, through additional lobbying and private fundraising, and perhaps even additional Congressional grants, to acquire and permanently protect Fossil Creek and thousands of additional acres of prime forest lands in the Cascade Range.

The Partnership's ultimate success is by no means assured. But with this year's appropriation Congress has handed an initial victory, and has moved the Partnership's ultimate goal into view from beyond the political and financial horizon.