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Conservation easement protects forest at Riffe Lake

Thanks to last week’s purchase of a conservation easement by Tacoma Power, approximately 1,850 acres of working timberland and valuable wildlife habitat in the area known as Peterman Hill above Lewis County’s Riffe Lake will be conserved from development in perpetuity. The conservation easement was negotiated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and purchased from Pope Resources, a timberland owner with a long history in Washington State.

Forterra proposed the transaction to Pope Resources, neighboring landowner Tacoma Power and WDFW several years ago and helped negotiate the successful deal. The easement was purchased using mitigation funding required in the federal license for the Cowlitz River Hydroelectric Project.

“We believe that this use of the mitigation funds will significantly benefit wildlife,” said Tacoma Power’s Wildlife and Recreation Coordinator Cindy Swanberg. “The conservation easement purchase will ensure that the lands bordering Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Wildlife Area are not negatively impacted by development.”

With the easement in place, the 1,850-acre property can continue operating as active timberland, but cannot be used for commercial or residential development. This transaction involves Pope Resources’ timberland directly adjacent to Tacoma Power’s 6,840 acre Peterman Ridge wildlife unit managed by WDFW. This conservation easement is especially important because the newly protected lands lie between Riffe Lake and the existing wildlife area, leveraging its conservation benefits to the adjacent Tacoma Power property.

“The conservation of this property will keep a working forest working, keep wildlife habitat vibrant and keep a great recreational property accessible to everyone. This acquisition shows the power of partnerships with Pope Resources, Tacoma Power, WDFW and Forterra,” said Gene Duvernoy, Forterra president.

“Pope Resources is delighted to work with Forterra, Tacoma Power and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to preserve working forests on lands with other potential uses,” said David Nunes, Pope president and CEO.  “We have been managing timberland in Washington for over 150 years and are committed to stewardship excellence. We will continue to work on these significant conservation projects with our valued partners, as evidenced by the 20,000 acres we have committed to conservation in the last 15 years.”The 23.5-mile long Riffe Lake is the second largest freshwater lake in western Washington. The forests around the lake are home to a wide variety of wildlife species including elk, deer, bald eagle, pileated woodpecker and numerous others.

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About Forterra: Forterra fills a unique and important niche as the largest conservation and community building organization dedicated solely to this region. As a national leader, Forterra is shaping a future that will flourish environmentally and economically. We partner with thousands of leaders and residents across the region to create healthy, livable and prosperous communities. For over 20 years, Forterra has led efforts to conserve more than 173,000 acres of forests, farms, shorelines, parks and natural areas and restore critical landscapes. More at http://www.forterra.org.

About Pope Resources: Pope Resources, a publicly traded limited partnership, and its subsidiaries Olympic Resource Management and Olympic Property Group, own or manage 178,000 acres of timberland and development property in Washington and Oregon.  We also manage, co-invest in, and consolidate three timberland investment funds that we manage for a fee.  In addition, we offer our forestry consulting and timberland investment management services to third-party owners and managers of timberland in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.  The company and its predecessor companies have owned and managed timberlands and development properties for more than 150 years.  Additional information on the company can be found at http://www.poperesources.com.

About Tacoma Power: Tacoma Power serves 168,000 customers in Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest and portions of Fife, Lakewood, Federal Way, Steilacoom, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and other portions of Pierce County. The utility includes seven divisions: Generation, Transmission and Distribution, Power Management, Click! Network, Utility Technology Services, Reliability & Compliance, and Rates, Planning & Analysis. http://www.tacomapower.com

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