Nason Ridge: Private Land Acquired, Saved From Logging

When local communities of hikers speak up, they can move (or save) mountains.

Nason Ridge near Lake Wenatchee is the latest property to be saved from logging after a surge of local support over the last 10 months.

On May 21, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) and Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) announced WRC had reached a deal with Weyerhaeuser to purchase the entire 3,714-acre Nason Ridge property. The organizations are now looking to raise $1 million in six months to support this purchase.

Panorama of Big Jim Mountain to Arrowhead Mountain from Nason Ridge Trail. Local conservation groups are buying the land from Weyerhauser to save it from logging. Photo by David Hagen.

The property is used by bikers, hikers and skiers, and is a vital habitat for fish and wildlife. Included in the acquisition is much of the 21.9-mile Nason Ridge Trail, more 15 miles of groomed cross-country skiing trails, and land abutting Nason Creek—the most important single salmon spawning stream of the central Columbia River and restoration focus area for the Spring Chinook salmon.

A Land with a long history

Originally part of the territory of the P'Squosa (Wenatchi) people, the land changed hands many times, but has been owned by various lumber companies over the last near-century. Logged multiple times prior to 1973, it has since been up for timber harvest several times since 2000. After acquired by Weyerhaeuser in 2013, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust began the Upper Wenatchee Community Lands Plan and identified Nason Ridge as a priority for protection.

Last August, Weyerhaeuser acquired a permit to log 201 acres of this land on a slope above Lake Wenatchee. Nearby landowners then started a petition expressing concerns about views, unstable slopes, the impact on water quality, and the severity of the harvest. Weyerhaeuser agreed to pause the timber harvest, allowing the land trust and Western Rivers Conservancy to begin working toward purchasing the property.

If you would like to support the fundraising effort, you can donate here.

Nason Ridge purchase area map. Courtesy of Chelan-Douglas Land Trust.