The Stemilt-Squilchuck area is located in the foothills of the Cascades southwest of Wenatchee. News of a potential sale of approximately 2,500 acres of Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land in the upper Stemilt Basin for private development led to public concerns about the areas future. In 2007, the Stemilt Partnership (Partnership), a broad coalition representing a broad mix of interests including those of agriculture, wildlife, recreation, and conservation, was established to consider options for securing the natural values the Stemilt and adjacent Squilchuck Basins offer the region. NCWAS was directly involved in the process from beginning to end.
The initial goal of the Partnership was to generate an agreed upon vision for land use in the upper Stemilt and Squilchuck drainages. Over the years, consensus was reached on a long-range plan which is now being implemented. The agreement essentially called for concentrating development in the lower portions of the watersheds, while maximizing public management for wildlife and recreation in their upper reaches.
Over many years, the Partnership achieved the vast majority of what it set out to do. Privatization of the 2,500 DNR acres was stopped. Following this, a series of land transactions led to much of the upper basin coming into public ownership. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ultimately purchased the above mentioned DNR lands, and nearby Longview Timberlands parcels were brought into public ownership and now make up the newly created Stemilt/Squilchuck Community Forest. Click here to read the management plan for the community forest.
In the end, the land ownership pattern in the upper basins was simplified and consolidated. This not only prevents development for private interests but also allows for the area to be efficiently managed in line with the Partnership’s vision. Along the way, the process also produced detailed mapping of the basins’ landscape conditions. The resulting data can now be used to inform management decisions in support of public interests.
Fully realizing the areas’ envisioned potential will still take a while. With the Partnership’s achievements now firmly in place, continued investments are incrementally producing the desired results.