JUDGE RECOGNIZES UNIQUE VALUES OF BLANCHARD MOUNTAIN

DNR Instructed to Revisit Decision to Log Major Portions of Popular Recreation Area

Judge Susan J. Craighead (King County Superior Court) struck down a decision by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and required the agency to fully assess the unique environmental values of Blanchard State Forest near Bellingham before deciding how much of the Forest will be logged. The ruling was in response to a legal challenge by the North Cascades Conservation Council (NCCC) and the Chuckanut Conservancy.

Craighead’s decision recognizes that Blanchard State Forest is the only place where the North Cascades meet Puget Sound. It is a unique coastal mountain range with mature lowland forests, a wide diversity of wildlife, and panoramic views of the San Juan Islands. “Most importantly, Blanchard Mountain represents a slice of near wilderness in the middle of a rapidly urbanizing area,” wrote Judge Craighead.

Blanchard State Forest includes an intricate array of 20 miles of trails and lies next door to Larrabee State Park, just inside Skagit County. The Forest is popular during all seasons and is used by more than 35,000 people each year. “Blanchard is fantastic, especially for winter and spring hiking when many high mountain trails are still closed by snow,” said Frank Eventoff, a member of the Conservancy and frequent visitor to the area.

Blanchard trails pass through large stands of 80-year old trees on the way to high cliffs and crags. Several areas offer spectacular views of the San Juan Islands and three mountain ranges. Blanchard supports a number of rare and threatened species and has the only known nesting area for marbled murrelets along the coast of greater Puget Sound.

In May 2006, DNR convened a group representing various interests in Blanchard State Forest. The group developed a plan for the Forest that failed to take into account the concerns of many local conservationists and recreationists. Local residents objected strongly to only 1,600 acres being protected in a “core area,” while the remaining two thirds of the Forest would be logged.

The plan would severely impact many miles of trails and other recreation values across large areas of the mountain that are currently roadless. A major section of the Pacific Northwest Trail, or PNT, wasn’t even included in the core area, despite a recent proposal by Senator Maria Cantwell to designate the PNT as a National Scenic Trail. The PNT, once completed, will extend 1,100 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Continental Divide.

“The decision could have a major impact on how DNR manages state forest lands throughout Washington,” said Tom Brucker, attorney and NCCC Board member. In the past, DNR has avoided environmental assessment at the forest level by simply referring to statewide studies supporting the Washington Forest and Fish Rules or Habitat Conservation Plan. This ruling recognizes that some state forests can be unique and deserving of special environmental review. DNR will also no longer be allowed to assume that all state forests will eventually be logged when evaluating the environmental impacts of a particular action.

The North Cascades Conservation Council, founded in 1957, led the charge to establish the North Cascades National Park and surrounding Wilderness Areas and is currently working on a new proposal to expand the North Cascades National Park. The Chuckanut Conservancy is a Bellingham-based group working to protect the environmental and recreational values of the Chuckanut Mountains. For more information, visit www.northcascades.org or www.chuckanutconservancy.org.