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MISSOULA, Mont.—Several partners including the Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation have completed a 2,675-acre first phase of a
three-year project to protect wildlife habitat and public access in the
Cascade Mountains near the Naches River in Washington.
By 2011, the entire project will transfer more than 10,000 acres in
Kittitas County from Plum Creek Timber Co. to the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
First-phase partners included The Nature Conservancy, Washington
Wildlife and Recreation Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WDFW and
RMEF. A broad coalition, including the Kittitas County Commissioners,
Yakama Nation, U.S. Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural
Resources, supported the project.
“We’re proud to be a part of this unique partnership that is generating
permanent benefits for wildlife and sportsmen. The first phase of this
project has moved a significant piece of critical elk range and calving
grounds into public ownership,” said David Allen, president and CEO of the
Elk Foundation.
Habitat includes alpine areas home to mountain goats, shrub-steppe and
basalt cliffs for elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep, and streams used by
bull, cutthroat and rainbow trout as well as salmon. The diverse landscape
hosts a wide variety of other species including several classified as
sensitive or threatened.
The area, called Rock Creek, also is a popular recreation and scenic
destination.
The newly protected lands were listed for sale and on the open market.
The area has a checkerboard ownership pattern with private sections
interspersed with tracts owned by the Wenatchee National Forest. Piecemeal
purchases by small timber operations or rural residential developers could
have compromised wildlife values as well as public access.
“Consolidating this checkerboard has been a top priority for us,” said
WDFW south-central regional director Jeff Tayer. “Without this acquisition,
the property could end up in fragmented ownerships limiting recreational
access and the ability to use prescribed fire and tree thinning to reduce
the risk of wildfire, disease and insect outbreaks. Our partners at The
Nature Conservancy and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation made this happen.”
“By bringing this area into public ownership, we’ll be able to work
together to maintain a healthy forest landscape, to lower the danger of
catastrophic wildfire, and preserve habitat for the wildlife we all love,”
said Karen Anderson, state director for The Nature Conservancy.
“This region provides both crucial wildlife habitat and unique opportunities
for outdoor recreation. WWRP funds will preserve this land, benefiting both
people and the environment,” said Joanna Grist, executive director of the
Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.
“Plum Creek recognizes the public benefits of this project and is
pleased to participate in the partnership that achieved this important
outcome,” said Rick Holley, president and chief executive officer, Plum
Creek.
The purchase price of $3.27 million was provided in grants from the
state Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program ($1.8 million) and from a
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fund designed to protect habitat for
endangered species ($1.47 million).
The newly protected lands are north of the Naches River and northwest of
the town of Naches, reachable by Bald Mountain, Rock Creek and Milk Lake
roads. The area will be managed as part of WDFW’s Oak Creek Wildlife
Area.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk
country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.6
million acres—a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and
stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF
also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing
and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org
or 800-CALL ELK.
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