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10THE ROAD TOCONSERVATIONBy Diedra Petrina, KittitasCounty Project Coordinator &Josh Cohen, Media AssociateInterstate 90 is one of Washington State’s mostcritical pieces of infrastructure. Spanning fromSeattle to the Idaho border, it ferries goods acrossthe state, brings tourists and their economy-boostingspending habits to the state’s many beautifuldestinations, brings food from Central and EasternWashington’s phenomenal farms to markets west ofthe mountains and so much more. I90 also connectstwo major conservation initiatives Forterra and itspartners are engaged in: the I90 Wildlife Bridges andthe Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway projects.I90 Wildlife BridgesThe I90 Wildlife Bridges project centers on a 15-mile stretch of the interstate between Hyak andEaston being expanded by the Washington StateDepartment of Transportation (WSDOT). Every day,an average of 27,000 cars and semi-trucks crossSnoqualmie Pass, causing frequent traffic jams andfurther impacting the deteriorating road quality.The expansion will help reduce traffic problems andimprove road conditions, freight mobility, safety andecological connectivity. As part of the expansion,WSDOT is building wildlife bridges over and underthe highway at strategic points to allow animals tosafely cross.In order to increase the effectiveness of the bridges(thereby increasing safety for animals and drivers alike),a partnership formed to conserve land around thefuture bridge sites. The partnership includes the I90Wildlife Bridges Coalition, Forterra, the U.S. ForestService, Washington Fish and Wildlife and the SierraClub. In addition, organizations such as Mountains toSound Greenway and Trust for Public <strong>Land</strong>s have beenimportant partners in the corridor effort.In the past five years, Forterra has conserved over3,000 acres of wildlife habitat along this corridorto support the wildlife bridges project. The land isstrategically targeted for its good habitat locatedin areas that compliment other public lands andwildlife corridors. Most recently, we conservedFORTERRA.ORGLookingLookingdowndowntotoI90I90fromfromKeechelusKeechelusRidge.Ridge.PhotoPhotobybyCharlieCharlieRainesRaines
a 480-acre property at Mt. Amabilis near Eastonusing grant funding from the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService. Forterra owns the land and the WashingtonDepartment of Natural Resources holds a conservationeasement on the property, ensuring the land will bepermanently protected. Forterra will steward theland to maintain and enhance wildlife habitat valuesto support deer, elk, cougar, bear, bobcat and otherspecies that use it.Looking forward, we are working to conserve around2,000 more acres of habitat in the wildlife corridor,some as soon as this winter.Yakima River Canyon Scenic BywayContinuing east on I90 as it passes Ellensburg,you come across State Route 821, known bymany as Canyon Road or the Yakima River CanyonScenic Byway. It is one of the prettiest drives you’llexperience in Washington. It winds along the YakimaRiver through hills of basalt rock and wildflowers ofthe shrub-steppe. If you are lucky you’ll see baldeagles perched on a ponderosa pine, big horn sheepnavigating the cliffs and, in the spring, pelicansplaying in the river. It is also Washington State’svery first scenic byway, officially declared as such byGovernor Dan Evans in 1968.In 2010, Forterra began to lead an effort tohighlight and prioritize the importance of the Bywayand formed a partnership of nearly 30 differentorganizations and landowners. This powerful groupis working to conserve nearly 14,000 acres of landalong the Byway, update the Corridor ManagementPlan, build an Interpretive Center at the North end ofthe Canyon and secure safe river access and wildlifeviewing sites.In just two short years the partnership has severalimportant accomplishments to its credit. In 2010,Forterra secured $1.625 million to purchase 700 acresof endangered shrub-steppe habitat. In 2012, theWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)ranked the project third for state funding for a $1.5million grant for additional habitat purchases. TheKittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN) andForterra are updating the Corridor Management Planworking closely with WSDOT. The plan is a blueprintfor the Byway that was never implemented. Updateswill be completed this winter.Most recently, KEEN received an $800,000 grantto build an interpretive center at the north end ofthe Canyon. The center will help improve the park’svisibility and could serve as the focal point in theeffort to capitalize on the canyon as a tourism andenvironmental attraction. Over the next few monthsthe partnership will work on raising additional funds tocomplete the Interpretive Center, finalize the WSDOTportion of the Corridor Management Plan and holdcommunity-building events in the Canyon.Forterra is looking for additional partners to assistwith planning in the Canyon especially in outdoorrecreation fields like cycling, fishing, hunting andhiking. Please contact Jill Scheffer in our Ellensburgoffice for more information and to join in thisimportant work.Further Down the RoadAs we move into 2013, we will continue to worktowards conserving great lands along the I90corridor and the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway.In addition, we are beginning to develop plans forconserving lands along another important Washingtonhighway, Highway 2. The Skykomish Valley has greatwildlife habitat, recreational potential, wildernesslands near Stevens pass and some old growth forest.Conserving land along the Highway 2 corridor, aswe are with I90 and the Canyon, will be critical forretaining those qualities that help make our regionso very special.11WINTER 2012
Page 1 and 2: WINTER 2012formerly CASCADE LAND CO
Page 3 and 4: message from the president ////////
Page 5 and 6: OUTABOUT///////////////////////////
Page 7 and 8: Development in Neah Bay has traditi
Page 9: The Cascade and Olympic Agenda’s
Page 13 and 14: staff resources and funding for inv
Page 15 and 16: creating a greatGLOBAL REGIONBy Nat
Page 17 and 18: IN OUR BACKYARD: Seattle tree ambas
Page 19 and 20: chair’s perspectiveBy Peter Orser

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