COMPLETE!
Climbing the Hill to Conservation CONTINUED FROM COVER
VOLUNTEER AT NASON RIDGE Come join the restoration effort at Nason Ridge! WRC and Chelan County would love your help on April 24th, 2021 (all things permitting), doing vegetative rehab on the decommissioned roads and disturbed areas at Nason Ridge. We will undertake some combination of planting trees, shrubs and wildflowers and possibly even some trail building. If you’d like to receive more information about this, please email WRC’s stewardship director, Mik McKee, at mmckee@westernrivers.org. We hope to see you there!
“Big Red” is a giant ponderosa pine on the Nason Ridge Trail, just off the Nason Ridge property. It’s a favorite stop for a photo.
BILL MILLER
Western Rivers Conservancy
westernrivers.org
PORTLAND
OLYMPIA
SAN FRANCISCO
DENVER
(503) 241-0151
(360) 528-2012
(415) 767-2001
(303) 645-4953
News from Nason Ridge AN UPDATE FROM WESTERN RIVERS CONSERVANCY
SEPTEMBER 2020
Nason Ridge: Climbing the Hill to Conservation
LEE RENTZ
A SHORT HISTORY OF NASON RIDGE The Giant Overlooking Lake Wenatchee —By Rollie Schmitten, Neighbor and Historian Ever since the United States parceled up the West and gave alternating sections of land to the railroad companies, the Nason Ridge property was in private, mostly corporate hands. It has a long history of lumber company ownership, going back to the beginning of the 19th century. That’s when the Lamb/Davie Lumber Company purchased 50,000 acres from Great Northern Railway to supply its lumber mill in Leavenworth, Washington. The mill went bankrupt in 1915, and my great grandfather, F. W. Schmitten, who owned Schmitten Lumber Company near Cashmere, purchased the land we know as Nason Ridge today. CONTINUED INSIDE
Conservation of Nason Ridge will ensure a healthy forest above the two-plus miles of Nason Creek that flow along the property’s eastern edge. The stream is vital to the Wenatchee River’s salmon, steelhead and bull trout populations.
—By Sue Doroff, President, Western Rivers Conservancy Summer at Nason Ridge is peak season, with hikers and mountain bikers taking to the trails, wildflowers in bloom and the mountain air above Lake Wenatchee warming everyone’s spirits. In the midst of a pandemic, when people are turning more and more to the great outdoors, the importance of places like Nason Ridge becomes exponentially greater. And it becomes as clear as the water in Nason Creek why people have been trying so hard to protect this special place. If you don’t know Nason Ridge, grab a map and locate Lake Wenatchee. Nason Ridge is a forested
mountainside that rises steeply from the southeast shore of the lake. At the top, dense trees give way to an open ridge, with stunning views and even the occasional elk or mountain lion. The Nason Ridge property, which Western Rivers Conservancy, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Chelan County and the community of Lake Wenatchee are all working to protect, spans 3,714 acres on both sides of the mountain. On the south side, 2.5 miles of Kahler Creek flow through the property, and over two miles of Nason Creek form the eastern boundary. The streams are a crucial source of cold water for the Wenatchee River and prime habitat for Chinook, CONTINUED ON BACK
JOHN MARSHALL
community to raise the millions of dollars still needed to transfer the lands to the county. While Nason Ridge is in WRC’s ownership, the property is being managed for conservation, restoration and recreation. An exciting development is that Chelan County hopes to become the long-term owner of the property and create a community forest and a recreational resource that will benefit everyone. Until permanent funding can be secured to make that happen, WRC is keeping access to the ridge’s robust trail system open to the public and working with the county to conduct critically needed restoration work. That includes the decommissioning of old logging roads, minimizing fire hazards, and removing culverts to improve conditions for fish and wildlife, especially salmon. While permanently protecting Nason Ridge is still a work in progress, we are excited about the headway we’re all making together. The show of support for this project, both locally and at the state level, is a real testament to just how important this place is—and it gives us hope that Nason Ridge will soon be conserved forever. g
JOHN MARSHALL
With a tremendous show of support from the Lake Wenatchee community, the Nason Ridge Community Forest Management Plan was completed and adopted! WRC, CDLT, Washington State Parks, local landowners, recreationists and others all turned out for a series of stakeholder meetings led by Chelan County, and the partners crafted a 70-plus page plan that will guide the future management of the property by the county. The plan was submitted to the state legislature and was a huge step forward for the project. What’s more, the plan will serve as a model for other community forest efforts in the state of Washington. g
coho, sockeye, steelhead and bull trout. The mountain itself is crisscrossed by a network of excellent trails that link to the adjacent Lake Wenatchee State Park. Until recently, Nason Ridge was owned by Weyerhaeuser, which allowed public access for the countless hikers, mountain bikers, crosscountry skiers and others who flock to the property year-round. For many years, the local community and CDLT had been concerned about the future of Nason Ridge. So, when the property went up for sale, Western Rivers Conservancy negotiated a deal to purchase it, with the goal of protecting Nason and Kahler creeks and eliminating any possibility that Nason Ridge could be closed to the public, heavily cut or parceled up and developed—all likely outcomes in this highly desirable part of Washington. After WRC gained control of the property, it joined forces with CDLT and the local community, which unleashed an incredible show of support, raising more than $1 million to help pay for the cost of protecting Nason Ridge. In 2018, WRC purchased the property and is now working with CDLT, the state, Chelan County and the
JOHN MARSHALL
Community Forest Management Plan Adopted
MIK MCKEE
Restoration on the Ridge
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
WHAT DOES NASON RIDGE MEAN TO YOU?
—By Mik McKee, Stewardship Director, Western Rivers Conservancy Good things have been happening at Nason Ridge! First and foremost, Western Rivers Conservancy and Chelan County have begun decommissioning unused logging roads and removing culverts to improve conditions for salmon in Nason and Kahler Creeks. Currently, over 33 miles of logging roads snake across the Nason Ridge property, giving it some of the highest road density in the entire Nason Creek watershed. These roads, and the culverts that go with them, contribute high sediment loads into these fragile salmon streams. The risk of washouts, should any of these roads fail, also poses a threat to fish habitat. This year alone, WRC and the county are decommissioning over six miles of roads and removing over 20 culverts. Most of these roads are in poor condition and unnecessary for future management
—Ray Aspiri, Basque Entrepreneur and Community Activist
JOHN MARSHALL
“Nason Ridge means outstanding and year-round outdoor recreation in a beautiful setting…and it’s such a special place to have as part of our community.” —Curt Soper, Executive Director, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust “We are so happy that so many people will be able to use and appreciate Nason Ridge. And we know that our parents Hazel and Clyde Toole, would be too. We all enjoyed watching the land become the healthy forest and habitat that it is today. The mountains are calling...”
Western Rivers Conservancy currently owns the Nason Ridge property (visible on the far shore) and is working with Chelan County, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, the Lake Wenatchee community and others to permanently conserve it for the sake of fish, wildlife and people.
Key Grants Secured and the Fundraising Continues
—Kelli, Shauna, Erin and Megan Toole, Longtime Lake Wenatchee Residents
CHRISTI BODE JOHN MARSHALL
—By Mike Kaputa, Director of Chelan County Natural Resources Conservation and public access at Nason Ridge hinges on one thing: securing the funds needed to transfer the land to Chelan County. So far, the county, working with WRC and CDLT, has secured $1.25 million from two grant sources. Chelan County received $750,000 from the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board and $500,000 from the Chelan County Public Utilities District Tributary Committee. This is outstanding headway! We are now working to secure the remaining funds through one of two sources. One is the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy program, which is part
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The good news is that LWCF just received full and permanent funding with the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act in early August. That’s hopeful! The second potential source is the state of Washington’s nascent Community Forest program, which would provide funding in 2021. Once funding is secured, we can transfer Nason Ridge from WRC to Chelan County, which will manage this outstanding property as a sustainable community forest for the benefit of fish and wildlife, the local economy and the people of Chelan County. And that will benefit all Washingtonians. g
While Nason Ridge is under WRC ownership, Nason Ridge Brush Cutters is working to keep roads clear of excessive weeds and brush to minimize fire hazards.
History of Nason Ridge CONTINUED FROM COVER
Schmitten took a different view of the forest land he owned. He saw it as a bank account accruing interest through the growth of the forest, and that interest was only to be harvested (selectively) if necessary. Because of this view, not a single tree was harvested for 63 years on the 4,000 acres belonging to the Schmitten family. When sold, the forest was a mix of mature conifer stands that took nature 100 years to create. That all changed when the Schmittens sold the land in 1973, and the management approach turned to industrial forestry. The property changed hands over the years, but that management regime stayed the same. The Lake Wenatchee community has had hopes for many years for an alternative approach. When Weyerhaeuser put the property up for sale, Western Rivers Conservancy stepped up and purchased it. Now that the land is owned by WRC, the hope is to return to a management approach that keeps the forest intact as a working forest, a haven for fish and wildlife and a place where people can reconnect with nature and the beauty of Lake Wenatchee. Nason Ridge has been around a lot longer than humans have, but seeing the place that my great grandfather, grandfather and father once owned and cared for return to something closer to what they envisioned is exciting. It gives me great joy knowing the difference this will make for Lake Wenatchee for generations to come. g
HOW YOU CAN HELP
WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE We need your help! Please write a letter of support to your state representative and ask them to support full funding for Nason Ridge as a new Washington state Community Forest Program. Chelan County is applying to the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s new Community Forest Program for funds to transfer ownership of Nason Ridge to the county. The legislature will decide in January, and the sooner you get your letter in, the better our odds. Community support for this could make a big difference in whether the grant is funded by the legislature. Thank you!
JOHN MARSHALL
“What is amazing to me, is how so many members of our community came together to help Western Rivers Conservancy make the Nason Ridge purchase a reality in such a short time period. The overwhelming response from Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Chelan County, Weyerhaeuser and the Wenatchee Valley community was awe-inspiring. This preservation of Nason Ridge will serve the recreational and conservation goals for many generations into the future.”
needs, yet they pose real sediment risks to Nason and Kahler creeks. In April, Washington Department of Natural Resources visited the property and was very complementary of the collective effort to proactively address poor road conditions and protect the public resources associated with Nason and Kahler Creeks. Meanwhile, Kahler Glen and other neighbors have done an outstanding job at fire prevention by keeping other roads on the property clear of brush and weeds. Washington State Parks kept roads and trails groomed through the winter, and the Nason Ridge Brush Cutters volunteer group mobilizes several times a year to brush roads and trails and knock back weeds. All in all, it’s been a productive two years on the ground, and none of it would have been possible without the help of Chelan County, Kahler Glen, State Parks, CDLT and the community. g
MIK MCKEE
Restoration on the Ridge
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
WHAT DOES NASON RIDGE MEAN TO YOU?
—By Mik McKee, Stewardship Director, Western Rivers Conservancy Good things have been happening at Nason Ridge! First and foremost, Western Rivers Conservancy and Chelan County have begun decommissioning unused logging roads and removing culverts to improve conditions for salmon in Nason and Kahler Creeks. Currently, over 33 miles of logging roads snake across the Nason Ridge property, giving it some of the highest road density in the entire Nason Creek watershed. These roads, and the culverts that go with them, contribute high sediment loads into these fragile salmon streams. The risk of washouts, should any of these roads fail, also poses a threat to fish habitat. This year alone, WRC and the county are decommissioning over six miles of roads and removing over 20 culverts. Most of these roads are in poor condition and unnecessary for future management
—Ray Aspiri, Basque Entrepreneur and Community Activist
JOHN MARSHALL
“Nason Ridge means outstanding and year-round outdoor recreation in a beautiful setting…and it’s such a special place to have as part of our community.” —Curt Soper, Executive Director, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust “We are so happy that so many people will be able to use and appreciate Nason Ridge. And we know that our parents Hazel and Clyde Toole, would be too. We all enjoyed watching the land become the healthy forest and habitat that it is today. The mountains are calling...”
Western Rivers Conservancy currently owns the Nason Ridge property (visible on the far shore) and is working with Chelan County, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, the Lake Wenatchee community and others to permanently conserve it for the sake of fish, wildlife and people.
Key Grant Secured and the Fundraising Continues
—Kelli, Shauna, Erin and Megan Toole, Longtime Lake Wenatchee Residents
CHRISTI BODE JOHN MARSHALL
—By Mike Kaputa, Director of Chelan County Natural Resources Conservation and public access at Nason Ridge hinges on one thing: securing the funds needed to transfer the land to Chelan County. So far, the county, working with WRC and CDLT, has secured $1.25 million from two grant sources. Chelan County received $750,000 from the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board and $500,000 from the Chelan County Public Utilities District Tributary Committee. This is outstanding headway! We are now working to secure the remaining funds through one of two sources. One is the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy program, which is part
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The good news is that LWCF just received full and permanent funding with the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act in early August. That’s hopeful! The second potential source is the state of Washington’s nascent Community Forest program, which would provide funding in 2021. Once funding is secured, we can transfer Nason Ridge from WRC to Chelan County, which will manage this outstanding property as a sustainable community forest for the benefit of fish and wildlife, the local economy and the people of Chelan County. And that will benefit all Washingtonians. g
While Nason Ridge is under WRC ownership, Nason Ridge Brush Cutters is working to keep roads clear of excessive weeds and brush to minimize fire hazards.
History of Nason Ridge CONTINUED FROM COVER
Schmitten took a different view of the forest land he owned. He saw it as a bank account accruing interest through the growth of the forest, and that interest was only to be harvested (selectively) if necessary. Because of this view, not a single tree was harvested for 63 years on the 4,000 acres belonging to the Schmitten family. When sold, the forest was a mix of mature conifer stands that took nature 100 years to create. That all changed when the Schmittens sold the land in 1973, and the management approach turned to industrial forestry. The property changed hands over the years, but that management regime stayed the same. The Lake Wenatchee community has had hopes for many years for an alternative approach. When Weyerhaeuser put the property up for sale, Western Rivers Conservancy stepped up and purchased it. Now that the land is owned by WRC, the hope is to return to a management approach that keeps the forest intact as a working forest, a haven for fish and wildlife and a place where people can reconnect with nature and the beauty of Lake Wenatchee. Nason Ridge has been around a lot longer than humans have, but seeing the place that my great grandfather, grandfather and father once owned and cared for return to something closer to what they envisioned is exciting. It gives me great joy knowing the difference this will make for Lake Wenatchee for generations to come. g
HOW YOU CAN HELP
WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE We need your help! Please write a letter of support to your state representative and ask them to support full funding for Nason Ridge as a new Washington state Community Forest Program. Chelan County is applying to the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s new Community Forest Program for funds to transfer ownership of Nason Ridge to the county. The legislature will decide in January, and the sooner you get your letter in, the better our odds. Community support for this could make a big difference in whether the grant is funded by the legislature. Thank you!
JOHN MARSHALL
“What is amazing to me, is how so many members of our community came together to help Western Rivers Conservancy make the Nason Ridge purchase a reality in such a short time period. The overwhelming response from Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Chelan County, Weyerhaeuser and the Wenatchee Valley community was awe-inspiring. This preservation of Nason Ridge will serve the recreational and conservation goals for many generations into the future.”
needs, yet they pose real sediment risks to Nason and Kahler creeks. In April, Washington Department of Natural Resources visited the property and was very complementary of the collective effort to proactively address poor road conditions and protect the public resources associated with Nason and Kahler Creeks. Meanwhile, Kahler Glen and other neighbors have done an outstanding job at fire prevention by keeping other roads on the property clear of brush and weeds. Washington State Parks kept roads and trails groomed through the winter, and the Nason Ridge Brush Cutters volunteer group mobilizes several times a year to brush roads and trails and knock back weeds. All in all, it’s been a productive two years on the ground, and none of it would have been possible without the help of Chelan County, Kahler Glen, State Parks, CDLT and the community. g
COMPLETE!
Climbing the Hill to Conservation CONTINUED FROM COVER
VOLUNTEER AT NASON RIDGE Come join the restoration effort at Nason Ridge! WRC and Chelan County would love your help on April 24th, 2021 (all things permitting), doing vegetative rehab on the decommissioned roads and disturbed areas at Nason Ridge. We will undertake some combination of planting trees, shrubs and wildflowers and possibly even some trail building. If you’d like to receive more information about this, please email WRC’s stewardship director, Mik McKee, at mmckee@westernrivers.org. We hope to see you there!
“Big Red” is a giant ponderosa pine on the Nason Ridge Trail, just off the Nason Ridge property. It’s a favorite stop for a photo.
BILL MILLER
Western Rivers Conservancy
westernrivers.org
PORTLAND
OLYMPIA
SAN FRANCISCO
DENVER
(503) 241-0151
(360) 528-2012
(415) 767-2001
(303) 645-4953
News from Nason Ridge AN UPDATE FROM WESTERN RIVERS CONSERVANCY
SEPTEMBER 2020
Nason Ridge: Climbing the Hill to Conservation
LEE RENTZ
A SHORT HISTORY OF NASON RIDGE The Giant Overlooking Lake Wenatchee —By Rollie Schmitten, Neighbor and Historian Ever since the United States parceled up the West and gave alternating sections of land to the railroad companies, the Nason Ridge property was in private, mostly corporate hands. It has a long history of lumber company ownership, going back to the beginning of the 19th century. That’s when the Lamb/Davie Lumber Company purchased 50,000 acres from Great Northern Railway to supply its lumber mill in Leavenworth, Washington. The mill went bankrupt in 1915, and my great grandfather, F. W. Schmitten, who owned Schmitten Lumber Company near Cashmere, purchased the land we know as Nason Ridge today. CONTINUED INSIDE
Conservation of Nason Ridge will ensure a healthy forest above the two-plus miles of Nason Creek that flow along the property’s eastern edge. The stream is vital to the Wenatchee River’s salmon, steelhead and bull trout populations.
—By Sue Doroff, President, Western Rivers Conservancy Summer at Nason Ridge is peak season, with hikers and mountain bikers taking to the trails, wildflowers in bloom and the mountain air above Lake Wenatchee warming everyone’s spirits. In the midst of a pandemic, when people are turning more and more to the great outdoors, the importance of places like Nason Ridge becomes exponentially greater. And it becomes as clear as the water in Nason Creek why people have been trying so hard to protect this special place. If you don’t know Nason Ridge, grab a map and locate Lake Wenatchee. Nason Ridge is a forested
mountainside that rises steeply from the southeast shore of the lake. At the top, dense trees give way to an open ridge, with stunning views and even the occasional elk or mountain lion. The Nason Ridge property, which Western Rivers Conservancy, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Chelan County and the community of Lake Wenatchee are all working to protect, spans 3,714 acres on both sides of the mountain. On the south side, 2.5 miles of Kahler Creek flow through the property, and over two miles of Nason Creek form the eastern boundary. The streams are a crucial source of cold water for the Wenatchee River and prime habitat for Chinook, CONTINUED ON BACK
JOHN MARSHALL
community to raise the millions of dollars still needed to transfer the lands to the county. While Nason Ridge is in WRC’s ownership, the property is being managed for conservation, restoration and recreation. An exciting development is that Chelan County hopes to become the long-term owner of the property and create a community forest and a recreational resource that will benefit everyone. Until permanent funding can be secured to make that happen, WRC is keeping access to the ridge’s robust trail system open to the public and working with the county to conduct critically needed restoration work. That includes the decommissioning of old logging roads, minimizing fire hazards, and removing culverts to improve conditions for fish and wildlife, especially salmon. While permanently protecting Nason Ridge is still a work in progress, we are excited about the headway we’re all making together. The show of support for this project, both locally and at the state level, is a real testament to just how important this place is—and it gives us hope that Nason Ridge will soon be conserved forever. g
JOHN MARSHALL
With a tremendous show of support from the Lake Wenatchee community, the Nason Ridge Community Forest Management Plan was completed and adopted! WRC, CDLT, Washington State Parks, local landowners, recreationists and others all turned out for a series of stakeholder meetings led by Chelan County, and the partners crafted a 70-plus page plan that will guide the future management of the property by the county. The plan was submitted to the state legislature and was a huge step forward for the project. What’s more, the plan will serve as a model for other community forest efforts in the state of Washington. g
coho, sockeye, steelhead and bull trout. The mountain itself is crisscrossed by a network of excellent trails that link to the adjacent Lake Wenatchee State Park. Until recently, Nason Ridge was owned by Weyerhaeuser, which allowed public access for the countless hikers, mountain bikers, crosscountry skiers and others who flock to the property year-round. For many years, the local community and CDLT had been concerned about the future of Nason Ridge. So, when the property went up for sale, Western Rivers Conservancy negotiated a deal to purchase it, with the goal of protecting Nason and Kahler creeks and eliminating any possibility that Nason Ridge could be closed to the public, heavily cut or parceled up and developed—all likely outcomes in this highly desirable part of Washington. After WRC gained control of the property, it joined forces with CDLT and the local community, which unleashed an incredible show of support, raising more than $1 million to help pay for the cost of protecting Nason Ridge. In 2018, WRC purchased the property and is now working with CDLT, the state, Chelan County and the
JOHN MARSHALL
Community Forest Management Plan Adopted