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Washington State’s most prized elk herds thrive in the 2.5 million acres of land along the east slope of the Cascade Range. Consolidating land management among timberland owners, federal and state agencies, and other private interests is at the center of our work in this area.
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© Lance Schelvan/RMEF | Introduction
As a result of an 1864 congressional act, land grants were awarded in the form of a "checkerboard" public/private ownership pattern in vast areas of the Pacific Northwest. The railroad companies receiving these grants created subsidiaries to manage the lands. Those firms evolved into the major forest product firms that we recognize today. Now, those “checkerboard” ownership patterns that have characterized the landscape in Washington’s Eastern Cascade Mountains for over 100 years are dramatically changing. Corporate tax code changes and stricter timber management regulations have timber companies, such as Boise-Cascade and Plum Creek, reconsidering their long-term timberland ownership in the Pacific Northwest. As historic land ownership changes, more working forests are converted to development.. These corporate timberlands have long been considered as “quasi-public” lands because of the public access provided on them. If these ownerships become destination resorts, housing developments, or are broken up and sold to individuals, it will have a devastating effect on wildlife such as elk and mule deer, and it will drastically reduce public access on hundreds of thousands of acres within the Central Cascades.
Washington’s human population is booming. Much of that growth revolves around Seattle and the people who work there but wish to live away from the urban area. This “urban flight” is felt across the Cascades. Kittitas County is expected to see a 33 percent population increase by 2020. Because of the very large tracts of “checkerboard” properties that are now up for sale and the skyrocketing demand for real estate, Washington’s Eastern Cascades is one of the most threatened landscapes in the U.S.
We have a small window of opportunity to protect habitat for some 16,000 elk and 20,000 mule deer and secure hunting opportunities on that landscape through the East Slope Cascades Conservation Initiative. The Elk Foundation will do so through a variety of projects and programs:
Land Exchanges
A package of four land exchanges will help eliminate the “checkerboard” ownership pattern in this area and block-up public lands. Combined, these exchanges will affect over 300,000 acres and result in an additional 74,000 acres of public land in the Eastern Cascades. These exchanges are critical to the future of wildlife and to public hunting in the Initiative area. The Elk Foundation is providing $200,000 for this unprecedented land exchange. Funds will assist in covering timber cruises, appraisals, and costs associated with public education and outreach.
Acquisitions
There are several important projects already identified within the Initiative area. Funds are needed to option a 1,500-acre property and to assist with the acquisition of another 20,000-acre property.
Conservation Easements
Family ranches are quickly being subdivided into housing developments across this landscape, but there are still a number of large, historical family ranches within the Initiative area. Several of these ranches provide critical habitat and movement corridors between summer range on public lands and winter range on the Cowiche Wildlife Area to the east. The Elk Foundation will work with willing landowners to place conservation easements on ranches.
The Big Game Management Roundtable (BGMR)
The BGMR is a group of stakeholders, including ranchers, academics, wildlife professionals and Elk Foundation volunteers, who are working together to find solutions for elk depredation problems in Kittitas County. The Elk Foundation will provide matching funds for habitat projects designed to lessen elk pressure on agricultural lands.
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© Rance Block/RMEF | Program Accomplishments
In 2005, the Elk Foundation provided the financial assistance necessary for the Washington Department of Natural Resources to consolidate critical elk ranges in the Ahtanum Creek and Cle Elum Ridge areas near Yakima via a land exchange with Plum Creek Timber Company and Elk Haven, LLC, conserving 12,047 acres. Also in 2005, the Elk Foundation provided much needed funding toward the acquisition of Tieton River Canyon. This acquisition, led by The Nature Conservancy, protected 10,400 acres of critical migration corridor and winter range near Yakima. The lands acquired were held in a “checkerboard” ownership pattern by Plum Creek Timber Company and Elk Haven, LLC. Loss of this critical winter range to development in the heart of the Oak Creek Wildlife Management Area would have had a devastating effect on 1,700 elk and 2,000 mule deer.
2007 Goals and Projects
Through its East Slope Cascades Conservation Initiative, the Elk Foundation will protect a landscape--and thus a wildlife heritage--in a state with one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S. In 2007, the Elk Foundation will work to complete the Eastern Cascades land exchanges with 74,000 acres of land moving into public ownership, significantly increasing public access to the area.
How You Can Help
The success of the Elk Foundation’s East Slope Cascades Conservation Initiative is critical to the future of Washington’s most significant elk herd. Please help the Elk Foundation’s efforts in the East Cascades today! The Elk Foundation has pledged $200,000 toward these exchanges and we are working hard to raise those funds. Cash gifts of $2,500 or more can be restricted to the East Slope Cascades Conservation Initiative. If you are interested in helping financially, please contact Doug Marsh (877) 826-3945 or Rance Block at (866) 632-0502 or rblock@rmef.org. |
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