Group looking to save 10,000 acres of Plateau
Published 10:19 am Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald
An Enumclaw group focused on preserving a slice of the scenic Cascade foothills is making progress, spreading the gospel of conservation to the highest offices in King County.
King County Councilman Regan Dunn visited Enumclaw Friday, climbing upon a horse and receiving a guided tour through wooded acreage right outside Enumclaw's back door.
He was a guest of the Enumclaw Forested Foothills Recreation Association, a two-year old advocacy group with a simple goal - to preserve 10,000 acres of land, sparing it from any chance of development.
The guiding force behind EFFRA has been Crystal Carter, the group's founder and co-chairwoman.
“EFFRA was created with the goal of protecting the rural character of Enumclaw,” Carter said, while tending to a stable of horses. A 15-year resident of the area, she and her husband, John, own and operate Triple C Pleasure Horses just a few minutes outside the city limits.
In June 2005, Carter took the first step in EFFRA's development, hosting a meeting at the Enumclaw library. She advertised the gathering as a chance for people to come together who would like to preserve trail systems in the region.
Expecting a handful to show, Carter was surprised when 60 citizens filled the room. And the effort has grown from there.
EFFRA's goal has focused on the area bounded by state Route 169 on the west and the Federated Forest on the east, the Green River on the north and the White River on the south.
“I grew up riding horses in Federal Way,” Carter said, noting how rampant development overtook that lifestyle.
EFFRA's goal is protect some of those idyllic opportunities for current and future generations. The goal is to maintain, or enhance, fish and wildlife resources while providing a variety of recreational opportunities.
Leery of even using the term, Carter said EFFRA is not a band of “tree huggers.”
In fact, she wouldn't mind seeing some “protected” land set aside for commercial logging ventures. The money generated, she said, could be funneled back into conservation efforts.
EFFRA members realize they can't tackle their goals alone, so a key component of the group's mission is to work with other agencies to make their vision come true. The organization has reached out to government at the local, county, state and federal level and counts the private, nonprofit Cascade Land Conservancy as a key ally.
While admitting much needs to be done, Carter believes EFFRA has made a difference during its short life. The group was a player, she said, in the effort to get King County interested in purchasing more land in the Mount Peak area. The county already owns the busier north side of the popular attraction, but conservationists fear the south side is ripe for development.
The county has allocated $3.2 million with the goal of expanding its Mount Peak holdings, and is talking with three parties who own land near the top of the south side, Carter said.
“We're for all trail systems,” she added, noting that most of EFFRA's members are horse folks, but the group isn't concerned only with horse trails.
Looking to meet its goal of having 10,000 set aside for recreational use, EFFRA has identified three key parcels. The largest is owned by the Hancock corporation and totals 8,500 acres; the remaining acreage is held by private parties.
Carter said the Cascade Land Conservancy is already talking to one of the private landowners and King County authorities have talked to Hancock about the large parcel, simply letting the timber company know there's an option on the table, should Hancock decide to sell the acreage.
The third landowner, Carter said, has not been contacted.
One of EFFRA's goals is to make decision-makers aware of two things: one, that an organized effort exists to see rural land protected; and, two, to help them realize the natural beauty found in the foothills.
Toward that end, Carter and others have been inviting elected and appointed leaders to Enumclaw, putting them on a saddle and offering guided tours through nearby woods.
Dunn was the latest visitor, joining a list that includes King County Executive Ron Sims; county council members Larry Phillips, Larry Gossett and Julia Patterson; state Sen. Pam Roach; state Rep. Dan Roach; Brian Bowden of the National Park Service; Bob Burns of the county's Department of Natural Resources; and Mark Isaacson, with the county's Parks and Recreation Department.
“We've just been educating them about the area,” Carter said.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.
