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Kittitas County, Washington BOARD OF COLINTY COMMISSIONERS District One Cory Wright District Two Laura Osiadacz District Three Brett Wachsmith August 18,2020 Kittitas Conservation Trust PO Box 428 Roslyn, WA 98941 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,OOO acres of privately held land managed by The Nature Conservancy. As you know, TNC and partners purchased the land in20t4 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 forthe Cle Elum Ridge is a locallyowned 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 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. lf 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 potentialand 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 5sAvenue, STE 108 Ellensburg, WA 98926 (s09)962-7s08 FAX (s09) 962-7679