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Saturday, October 11, 2003
Deal protects riverside land
8,000 acres along Skykomish barred from development
People worried about suburban sprawl along the scenic Skykomish River can rest a little easier after a local conservation group announced yesterday that a large piece of land along the river -- almost 8,000 acres -- will be permanently protected from development.
Under the deal, the land's owner, Hancock Timber Resource Group, sold the land to private individuals. They then sold a conservation easement -- a bundle of property rights that forbids development -- to the state Department of Natural Resources for $2.4 million.
The Cascade Land Conservancy, a local, non-profit land trust, brokered the deal. The Forest Legacy Program paid for it. The program, part of the U.S. Forest Service, helps states protect forests.
"An at-risk forest landscape that runs along the Skykomish River has been saved forever," said Gene Duvernoy, president of Cascade Land Conservancy.
The deal requires that two miles along the Skykomish be off limits to logging to protect the habitat. The rest of the 8,000 acres can be logged but not developed.
The purchase announced yesterday adds to another conservation project along the river.
In February, the Cascade Land Conservancy announced that it had bought 410 acres to protect it from both development and logging.
Statewide, forestlands are under increasing pressure from encroaching development, said Doug Sutherland, Washington public lands commissioner, in a written statement.
"Keeping this land as working forests greatly benefits local communities by continuing to provide jobs, opportunities for recreation and green open space," he wrote.
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