Last week, The Nature Conservancy in Washington (TNC) and community partners celebrated a major milestone in the effort to protect Cle Elum Ridge in Kittitas County in central Washington. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small and Congresswoman Kim Schrier came to Cle Elum to announce a $15.3 million federal Forest Legacy Program grant that will enable Washington state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to protect this beloved forested land above the communities of Cle Elum, Roslyn and Ronald.
Ten years ago, in 2014, Plum Creek Timber owned the land comprising Cle Elum Ridge and wanted to sell. At the time, we, TNC in Washington, worked with conservation-minded investors to acquire the land and “pushed the pause button” on development. As part of a collective, we have been the interim land manager while we work with community partners to develop a long-term conservation vision for the 9,700 acres, which are directly adjacent to the Teanaway Community Forest. The conservation of these lands is significant because it protects wildlife habitat, forests, recreation and clean water. It protects the headwaters of the Yakima Basin, along with critical habitat for a range of threatened and endangered species.
Watch to learn more about the work TNC and partners have been doing on Cle Elum Ridge.
The announcement in Cle Elum last week was a poignant moment for the community, which has been working for decades to protect this treasured area. Members of the Checkerboard Partnership joined federal, state, county and non-profit leaders around a table at the Cle Elum Senior Center to share why the project is important to them and to thank the USDA for the game-changing grant. Speakers included Yakama Nation Tribal Councilmember Caseymac Wallahee, Kittitas County Commissioner Laura Osiadacz, Mitch Long of Kittitas Conservation Trust, Sally Jewell, Founding Board member of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, Nicky Pasi of Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, community leader Gary Berndt, Nancy Lillquist, Ellensburg City Councilmember and Urban Eberhart of the Kittitas Reclamation District.
Front row (left to right): Congresswoman Kim Schrier; Larry Leach, DNR; Mike Stevens, TNC; Sally Jewell, Mountains to Sound Greenway; Jon Hoekstra, Mountains to Sound Greenway, Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, USDA. Back row (left to right); Gary Berndt, community leader; Mitch Long, Kittitas Conservation Trust; Nicky Pasi, Mountains to Sound Greenway; Darcy Batura, TNC; Patty O’Hearn, WA Farm Forestry Association; Commissioner Hilary Franz, DNR; Councilmember Caseymac Wallahee, Yakama Nation; Urban Eberhart, Kittitas Reclamation District; Commissioner Laura Osiadacz, Kittitas County. Photo © TNC Staff
Partnerships make all this work possible. First and foremost, we offer our deep gratitude to the USDA and the U.S. Forest Service for investing in this project. Protection of Cle Elum Ridge will benefit upper Kittitas County for generations to come by protecting healthy forests that serve as a wildfire buffer for nearby communities, protecting the watershed that people and agriculture depend on and offering numerous recreational opportunities.
We thank the community members who have leaned into this work over the past five years through the Checkerboard Partnership Planning Committee. This opportunity was possible because of their dedication and deep collaboration in developing a shared, long-term vision for permanent protection. Their many hours of meetings, letter-writing and strategizing were instrumental to securing this funding.
We are also deeply grateful for the steadfast support and leadership of state and federal elected officials who have supported the project and the funding necessary to permanently protect the Ridge, including Congresswoman Kim Schrier, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell, and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.
While this grant is an exciting benchmark, there is still work to be done. TNC is collaborating with local partners to develop a transition plan for the lands. DNR is expected to acquire the land in the next year or two.
For more coverage and information about this exciting announcement, follow these links:
Seattle Times: WA to acquire 9,700-acre forest near Cle Elum thanks to federal grant
USDA Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Partners with States to Conserve 168,000 Acres of Private Forestlands as part of Investing in America agenda | USDA
DNR Press Release: Federal Funding Secured to Protect 9,700 Acres Adjacent to Teanaway Community Forest
Banner photo of Taneum, South Cle Elum Ridge © John Marshall
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