2023-04-24-minutes-public-works-study-session

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Cie Elum Ridge Economic Analysis Request for Proposals Introduction/Background The Nature Conservancy (TNC) manages 9,600 acres of forest land on Cie Elum Ridge, Kittitas County (Figure 1), owned by Central Cascades Forest LLC (CCF), and is working to transfer ownership to an entity, public or private that will maintain conservation values in its management of the lands. The parcels are adjacent to the Teanaway Community Forest on the east and the Cities of Roslyn and Cie Elum, and community of Ronald along its southwest border. The State of Washington purchased the Teanaway Community Forest from a private timber company in 2013 to protect a vital piece of the Yakima River Basin watershed under the provisions of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. Interest in transitioning the Cie Elum Ridge into a DNR -owned and managed Community Forest on Cie Elum Ridge - essentially expanding the existing Teanaway Community Forest - is a major focus of stakeholder discussions. The Checkerboard Partnership a collaborative effort of diverse community interests of which TNC is member, has done extensive research, planning, and outreach to further its goal of a Community Forest on Cie Elum Ridge. The Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners has not taken a position on the topic, and the economic analysis described here is intended in part to help the GewRws'-^ Board evaluate merits of the proposal. The Cie Elum Ridge lands are a significant portion of the Checkerboard Partnership's goal of protecting 27,000 acres of Kittitas County Forest lands (Taneum, Cabin Creek, and the Cie Elum Ridge.) The Cie Elum Ridge was identified as a target conservation acquisition in the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan Watershed Protection element and the transition to a Community Forest model is aligned with the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan Principles for Land Acquisitions (Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, Phase 2 Lands Plan, lune 2021). The 2016 Kittitas County Park Recreation and to work with public and mission related non-profit orizdmeaaous to Cain, Ind corscrv� a rq_o_T of open space corridor or seoafators and specifically referenced open spaces created by the Teanaway Community Forest and Cie Elum Ridge Lands The 12021 Kittitas County Recreation and Tourism Plan prioritized trail system resource parks and special Purpose facility goals from the 2016 plan for County implementation and recognized that other entities may lead other 2016 plan goals such as the conservancy gpalsITS'^ �^" v""taq CA A' Re,Fealieiq and To F m Plan def ses these lands as open SpaGe 68FF dOF5 Of SePaRtOls 10 PFeV dir' flefinit an be; ... PPR FAWF-I-Fe�� and I Fhan land -se� in and adjacent to Reslyn and Cie Elum., DNR, asthe owner and co -manager of the Teanaway Community Forest has expressed a willingness to explore taking ownership of the Cie Elum Ridge under a Community Forest model. Cie Elum Ridge connects the Teanaway and Cie Elum Watersheds. Heavy recreational use within the Cie Elum watershed strains local resources currently and will likely continue to intensity. A heightened risk of wildfire is also a concern; in 2017 the 36,000 -acre lolly Mountain Fire burned the northeast portion of Cie Elum Ridge and put the communities of Ronald and Roslyn on evacuation alert. To move forward with the Community Forest ownership model, DNR has asked partners to consider strategies to ease the strain of increased tourism and recreation on County resources and to explore ways for the County to achieve benefits from a Community Forest. Finding a way to mitigate these stressors and risks now and into the future is acknowledged by all involved. Commented [ATI]: Update link to adopted plan: httpl/lkifthlupl..d/b/lutionst2a 21 -116 -resolution ndf Commented [CC2]: Arden review language and determine if she agrees with this characterization. Commented [AT3R2]: I've revised to clarify that the purpose of the 2021 plan was to prioritize the County's Commented [CC4]: Arden review language and determine If she agrees with this characterization.