To save scenic hillside, tiny Index gets a crash course in fundraising

It's tough to raise a million dollars to save a mountain from being clearcut one fundraising hoedown and raffle ticket at a time.

For more than a year, residents of tiny Index -- including a cabinet maker, historic preservationist, retired stewardess, arborist, naturopath, midwife and maintenance man -- have been doing just that.

Earlier, they raised $36,000 -- no small feat for the Snohomish County mountain town, where people scratch together work for the privilege of living in one of the state's most beautiful spots.

But it still represented only 3 percent of the $1.3 million needed to buy Heybrook Ridge, the hillside overlooking the recreational mecca, from a company on the verge of logging it.

Now, after a $500,000 pledge from an anonymous donor willing to give part of a windfall inheritance, the long-shot preservation effort has a chance of succeeding.

The group still needs to raise hundreds of thousands in the next seven weeks, but new contributions will now be matched by that substantial pool of money. And Index is getting a crash course in fundraising.

"We're not a Seattle opera board -- we're mountain people," said Louise Lindgren, president of Friends of Heybrook Ridge. "We're generally not connected with wealthy people; however, we do know they come out here and recreate."

As Index has transitioned from a logging and mining outpost to an outdoor destination, the river rafters, rock climbers, anglers, hikers and mountain bikers don't come to see bare, shaved hillsides.

But what could have become a nasty anti-logging fight has turned into model for constructive problem solving between a concerned town and a company willing to listen.

Stanwood-based WB Foresters Inc., which originally planned to clearcut 95 acres on Heybrook Ridge, agreed instead to give residents a year and a half to raise money to buy the land. The deadline is June 30.

"A lot of time you'll get this uprising and it'll fizzle out," said WB Foresters business manager Debbie Buse. "This group has been absolutely the opposite -- they're growing in strength and passion on a daily basis."

Sean "Rib" Horst, a bluegrass musician, ski patroller, landscaper and Index town councilman, said he was initially outraged by the proposed clearcut. But after some community soul-searching, many agreed the smarter approach was to respect the landowner's property rights, understand their constraints and try to arrive at a compromise that benefits everyone.

"It could have been your logger against the small-town hippies, but it never has been that," said Horst, 33. "It's been pretty amazing on that front and taught me a lot of life lessons."

For some, it would be anathema to clearcut the prominent ridge overlooking Index as it's poised to become the gateway to the first wilderness area created in Washington state in more than 20 years.

After nearly a decade of work, the Wild Sky Wilderness Area north of U.S. Route 2 has passed both houses of Congress and awaits President Bush's signature.

"I think that'll make a difference in drawing people to this area," said Dennis Meier, one of a growing number of longtime Index residents offering vacation rentals to tourists. "What a greeting -- to see this clearcut hillside."

Instead, the group would like to preserve Heybrook Ridge, building a network of trails that could offer short walks to stunning views of the North Cascades' craggy peaks.

Much of the ridge was logged a century ago. But rather than replanting with a monocultural stand of trees, the forest was allowed to revegetate naturally. A network of trails would give researchers and school groups an easily accessible outdoor laboratory to study those effects, supporters hope.

Realizing that dream will hinge on finding other generous private donors, Lindgren said. Because of the looming deadline, there isn't time to apply for public or private grants, which often won't pay for land acquisitions, anyway.

But the $500,000 contribution that materialized in April certainly makes the preservation effort more viable, said Joe Sambataro, Snohomish County project manager for the Cascade Land Conservancy, which is helping negotiate a possible land deal.

"It really kind of opens the door in terms of other possibilities," he said. "Donors are more willing to donate when they see others are committed and ... that someone really values Heybrook Ridge."

HOW TO HELP

To watch a video about Heybrook Ridge or donate, visit heybrookridge.org. For more information, call 360-793-1534.