Land acquisition at Forterra does not happen at random. The I-90 corridor is a perfect example.
Between 2008 and 2017, Forterra acquired over 2,500 acres along the northern edge of the I-90 corridor from Snoqualmie Pass to Easton, a stretch of just 20 miles. This multi-year acquisition effort set the stage for two recent announcements: the restoration of Gold Creek Valley and the newly implemented Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan.
To kick off the long-awaited restoration of Gold Creek, more than 40 people gathered this fall around the water-filled gravel pit two miles southeast of Snoqualmie Pass most know as Gold Creek Pond. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Director Casey Sixkiller and representatives along with other agencies and partners traveled to the site to celebrate a huge milestone in the restoration of the watershed, which began nearly two decades ago.
In 2009, Forterra had purchased a large 250-acre tract in Gold Creek Valley, thanks in part to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant funding. This tract and adjacent U.S. Forest Service lands contained gravel pits excavated when material was needed to construct the highway that would eventually become I-90. Following the interstate’s completion, the pits were allowed to fill in with water from the nearby Gold Creek.
As Mitch Long, Executive Director of Kittitas Conservation Trust and project lead for the restoration, explained during the group’s visit to the site, the gravel pits have long had a detrimental effect on Gold Creek.
“The gravel pits—one of which, Heli’s Pond, sits on private land trust property managed by Forterra–have been a major disruptor of natural processes here in Gold Creek Valley,” said Long. “As the man-made ponds drain away precious water, this jeopardizes aquatic species like bull trout, which need a consistent stream flow to migrate and reproduce.”
To rectify decades of water disruption and significant logging, crews are reducing in size and filling the former gravel pits to restore wetlands and send groundwater back to Gold Creek. The massive undertaking will also include engineered logjams, channel narrowing, new floodplains, and streamside plantings. The entire process is expected to take anywhere from 3 to 10 years.
During the same time Forterra was finalizing its purchase of the 250 acres containing Heli’s Pond in 2009, it also was looking at neighboring properties for conservation knowing the value of wildlife migration routes.
Habitat connectivity in the Central Cascades has been the recent focus of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which announced its Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan. The plan has identified areas where there are opportunities to reconnect fragmented ecosystems and allow for safer wildlife migration.
Just east of the Gold Creek site, a wildlife crossing structure spanning I-90 allows for such safe passage, significantly reducing the number of fatal wildlife—vehicle collisions.
