The Nature Conservancy Establishes Community Forest in Central Washington

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has acquired approximately 2,600 acres along Cle Elum Ridge in Washington state’s Kittitas County and established it as the state’s newest community forest.

Located near the towns of Cle Elum, Roslyn and Ronald, the land will remain protected from development and managed for the benefit of local communities. Residents and visitors will continue to enjoy a protected forest landscape long cherished by the community for its ecological, cultural and recreational values. Cle Elum Ridge provides opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting and other outdoor traditions.

“This community forest is the fulfillment of a deeply held community vision for Cle Elum Ridge and is the result of nearly four decades of hands-on grassroots advocacy, community planning and collaborative visioning,” said Darcy Batura, TNC Washington  forest partnerships director and a resident of Roslyn. “This moment reflects what happens when people come together around a shared idea for the forest, and I’m incredibly proud to think of the future generations who will get to love these lands like we do.”

The community forest model protects the diverse values that define Cle Elum Ridge, maintaining a working forest and a connected landscape that supports recreation, wildlife movement, watershed function, and wildfire and climate resilience while continuing to provide for local communities and creating opportunities for meaningful community participation in the future stewardship of the forest.

Community advocacy for Cle Elum Ridge started in the 1980s when concerned residents began asking questions about unsustainable timber harvest and land use. Their interest and engagement grew into a series of planning processes with local governments, articulating shared community priorities and goals for the landscape.

TNC has worked to center community viewpoints and insight from local residents on their priorities for Cle Elum Ridge, helping form the Checkerboard Partnership as a local association seeking pathways for the protection of thousands of acres of forestland in the area. The partnership advanced residents’ shared vision, leading to the community forest model of ownership for this portion of Cle Elum Ridge.  

"We hit the pause button on housing development pressures more than 10 years ago so we could better understand what these lands needed most,” said Batura. “Over the last decade, Cle Elum Ridge has become a ‘living laboratory’ for forest stewardship, helping us restore forest health, reduce wildfire risk, improve habitat, and better understand water and snowpack dynamics, while continuing to provide ecological, cultural, recreational and community benefits for generations to come.”

Deeply involved in the management and community engagement surrounding Cle Elum Ridge for more than a decade, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust will continue to work with TNC and local partners on recreation management and models for public participation. Community members are invited to a public forum on Nov. 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the UKC Senior Center, 719 E Third Street, Cle Elum, where attendees can learn more about the community forest, review the draft Community Forest Management Plan and share feedback, ideas and priorities for the future of the forest.

"The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust has restored, reconnected, and re-envisioned access to public lands across our National Heritage Area for 35 years,” said Nicky Pasi, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Kittitas programs senior manager. “We helped establish the Coal Mines Trail in 1995, design and build Towns to Teanaway since 2018 and further the conversation for community forest management with the Checkerboard Partnership from 2020 to 2025. We have supported efforts to permanently protect Cle Elum Ridge for 10 years, and we are thrilled that these lands are now officially managed for the benefit and enjoyment of the local community."

The new Community Forest lies within the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation’s homelands and Treaty territory. Yakama Nation and its people have stewarded these lands since time immemorial and continue to do so today. TNC and Yakama Nation share a long-term vision to transfer ownership of the community forest to the Nation while maintaining the conservation, recreation and community benefits that have guided the project from the beginning.

The present acquisition and establishment of the community forest were supported through a grant from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s Community Forests Program, through donations from private foundations and individuals, and with in-kind fundraising support from the Kittitas Conservation Trust. TNC also contributed funding—placing $4.1 million into a private stewardship fund that will generate funding to cover annual maintenance and stewardship costs—and provided technical and real-estate transactions support.