Nisqually Land Trust

600 Acres (continued)...

This panorama shows the span of recent acquistions near Ashford.

The purchase brings the Land Trust a “huge” step closer to completing a permanently protected wildlife corridor between Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Elbe Hills State Forest, said Executive Director Joe Kane. “With one more purchase, we can complete the link. And we have the funds to do that.”

Acquired for $1.96 million from Hancock Forest Management, the property represents the second-largest deal in the Land Trust’s 21-year history and follows on the heels of its purchase, last year, of 720 acres that are immediately adjacent.

The Land Trust met the purchase price with a $1.83 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund and a $130,000 donation from the Nisqually Indian Tribe. The Washington Department of Natural Resources will hold a conservation easement on the property, and the Nisqually Tribe will help the Land Trust manage the site to enhance its wildlife values.

Specifically, the federal grant was intended to protect spotted owls and marbled murrelets, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and at least nine other species that are of concern to state and federal resource agencies. In addition, the site is located on the flanks of a ridge just above the town of Ashford and includes areas within the viewshed of State Route 706, the main approach to the national park, that had already been permitted for timber harvest. As well, the site includes an extensive stretch of the Mount Tahoma Trails Association’s hut-to-hut ski-trail system, the largest no-fee system in the country.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Kane. “Not that long ago the spotted owl was a pariah. Now the owl is everyone’s friend. It helped the timber company sell its property at a good price in a down market, and it helped preserve scenic vistas and recreational opportunities that are critical to the local tourism economy and business community. Deals like this take a lot of patience from all sides, but they really are the essence of win-win.”