An area 12 times the size of Seattle could be saved from suburban sprawl thanks to cooperation between Washington State, King, Pierce and Snohomish County officials, Tribal leaders and non-profit organizations who have agreed to work together to safeguard the land. The coordinated effort, called the Cascade Foothills Initiative, aims to preserve the western Cascade foothills through responsible working forestry, thus preventing future housing development, strip malls and congested roads.

Download a map of the projects in the Cascade Foothills Initiative
[939K jpeg]

“I’m working to protect this land so that my great-great grandchildren and their descendents can also go hiking – not shopping – in the natural habitat of the foothills. The Cascade foothills should be a place to enjoy nature, not to get your oil changed.”

The Letter of Intent signed today by officials from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, the Trust for Public Land and the Cascade Land Conservancy, sets forth initial steps and commits time and staffing resources to this major conservation effort. The Cascade Foothills Initiative provides for both a sustained timber economy and the long-term environmental and ecological benefits of our low elevation forests through responsible, working forestry.

Download a map of the Foothill Forest areas [764K jpeg]

Read the text of the 7-page Letter of Intent
[35K pdf]