Land and Water Conservation Funds Enables Permanent Protection of Washington’s Central Cascades Forest
After a decade-long conservation effort, 30,000 acres of private “checkerboard” lands in the Central Cascades Forest, receive permanent protection.
Media Contacts
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Emily Heber
Media Relations Manager
The Nature Conservancy
Phone: 206-971-4376
Email: Emily.heber@tnc.org
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is celebrating the permanent protection of 30,000 acres of Washington’s Central Cascades Forest as the culmination of decade-long partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to permanently protect these lands as part of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest. The final phase of this project, completed in July 2024, was the transfer of 8,000 acres made possible by funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), marking a milestone in Washington’s conservation and public land management.
“The permanent protection of these Central Cascades Forest lands is a monumental win for local conservation and connectivity in the I-90 corridor, as well as a win for future generations who depend on these forests for climate and community resilience, and outdoor recreation,” said Mike Stevens, Washington State Director for The Nature Conservancy. “This is a moment for all Washingtonians to celebrate our shared legacy and commitment to conservation.”
In 2014, The Nature Conservancy was able pause the development threat on 48,000 acres of land in Kittitas County that had been owned and managed by Plum Creek Timber, and ever since has managed the Central Cascades Forest as a vital ecological and recreational haven. Together with local communities, the U.S. Forest Service and TNC have worked with elected officials and a wide variety of local partners, to reconnect the “checkerboard” parcels of private and publicly managed lands to increase wildfire and community resilience, protect vital habitat for diverse wildlife, and provide people with clean water and abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. Transfer of the 30,000 acres to U.S. Forest Service has been completed in increments with 12,000 acres transferred between 2016 – 2021, another 10,000 acres in May 2024 and the final 8,000 acres finalized in July 2024.
"Spanning the headwaters of the Yakima River and the surrounding forest, the Land and Water Conservation investment in the Cascades provides permanent protection of ancestral homelands where the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation have Reserved Treaty Rights,” said Phil Rigdon Superintendent of Yakama Nation’s Natural Resources Department. “Yakama Nation celebrates the completion of this decade-long project. Protecting forest lands in the headwaters of the Yakima River is critical for fish and wildlife habitat and water supply for people and agriculture. Yakama Nation is grateful to all the partners who worked toward this outcome.”
Protection of these lands is a testament to the instrumental role LWCF has played for 60 years in safeguarding America’s natural heritage and will continue to have because of its permanent authorization and funding through the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act. It also represents Washington’s legacy of land conservation and that of the late Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, the original sponsor of the Land and Water Conservation Act. The success of the Washington Cascades Yakima River Watershed Project is the result of enduring support from the Yakama Nation, Yakima Basin Integrated Plan Implementation Committee the Checkerboard Partnership Planning Committee, Washington’s U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Representative Kim Schrier, and many other local partners who all came together to advocate for funding from the LWCF.
The Nature Conservancy and our partners celebrate this milestone and the collaborative spirit that brought it to fruition. It stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when conservation is placed at the heart of public policy.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.