Visitors come from all over to experience Washington’s natural beauty: breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains, unforgettable sunsets over the Puget Sound, wildlife along the rock-strewn peaks of the Cascades. 

They also come to fish and float down our beautiful rivers, one of the state’s most valuable natural resources. 

Washington has up to 250 miles of rivers designated under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Rivers that have wildlife, recreational, cultural, or scenic values, for example, receive certain protections that ensure they flow freely and remain largely undeveloped. 

The Sauk River received this distinction in 1978, in part for its exemplary salmon habitat. The Sauk flows from Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Cascade Range in eastern Snohomish County, eventually through a remote section of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest to Darrington. This town became a focus of Forterra’s efforts that centered around sustainable logging practices and Forterra’s acquisition of 11 acres of mature riparian forest and Sauk Rriver waterfront.

The acquisition not only showed Forterra’s dedication to conserving places considered valuable for scenic and wildlife purposes, but it also demonstrated the land trust’s commitment to collaboration with local entities. In this case, Forterra purchased the land and held it until the town could assume ownership. 

As told in Forterra – Land for People. Land for Nature. Land for Good.™, Darrington’s mayor had much to praise about the transaction.

“The thing I most admire about Forterra is that they don’t do it to you, they do it with you. So many outside NGOs from an urban atmosphere, they want to do it to you, they have the answers, but they don’t think, What if it was us coming to your neighborhood and telling you what you needed? Forterra is an urban NGO, but they participate on a level that very few participate on.”

Read the full story behind one of the land trust’s most ambitious projects attempting to meet a town’s economic needs with ecological forest management in Forterra – Land for People. Land for Nature. Land for Good.™