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August 17, 2020
Kittitas Conservation Trust
PO Box 428
Roslyn, WA 98941
Kittitas County, Washington
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
District One District Two District Three
Cory Wright Laura Osiadacz Brett Wachsmith
RE: Kittitas County Support for Checkerboard Partnership Effort
Dear Mr. Tayer and Members of the Kittitas Conservation Board,
The Kittitas County Board of Commissioners would like to express our support for the ongoing
community-based effort to permanently conserve, manage, and provide public access for recreation to
27,000 acres of privately held land managed by The Nature Conservancy. As you know, TNC and
partners purchased the land in 2014 to protect it from development but did not intend long term
ownership. The Conservancy and local stakeholders have formed the Checkerboard Partnership to
address the challenge of determining pathways for permanent conservation that ensure continued
community access and land stewardship.
One of the promising conservation pathways for the Cle Elum Ridge is a locally owned and managed
Community Forest model. The community members involved in the Checkerboard Partnership are
pursuing this model because it would empower local residents to control decisions about forest
management, recreational use, and will derive local economic benefits.
The Checkerboard Partnership members are working to establish a new entity public development
authority to own and manage the Community Forest. They have met with the Board of County
Commissioners to discuss this concept and develop a path forward. We will host a Public Hearing on this
concept as soon as we are able under COVID guidelines.
We understand that the Recreation and Conservation Office has developed a new Community Forest
grant program and applications are due soon. The Checkerboard Partnership notified us that due to RCO
grant guidelines, they are unable to apply for these funds without an Authorized Resolution from an
eligible applicant and have asked KCT to consider submitting a provisional application to the program
with the intent of changing the sponsorship if the public development authority is formed. If this entity
is not formed, they would support withdrawing the application and continue to work toward a
conservation pathway that has community support.
The Kittitas County Board of Commissioners believes this project has potential and the idea of
submitting a provisional application in partnership with KCT will allow the concept to maintain its
current momentum toward permanent conservation.
Kittitas County Courthouse • 205 West 5" Avenue, STE 108 • Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509) 962-7508 -FAX (509) 962-7679
Thank you for considering the invitation to support the Checkerboard Partnership by submitting a
provisional application to the RCO Community Forest grant program.
Sincerely,
Kittitas County Commissioners
Brett Wachsmith, Chairman Laura Osiadacz, Vice -Chair Cory Wright, Commissioner
Kittitas County Courthouse - 205 West 5h Avenue, STE 108 • Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509) 962-7508 -FAX (509) 962-7679