Commission adds 1,300 acres of wildlife land east of Cascades

OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the purchase of approximately 1,300 acres of land to protect wildlife habitat and support outdoor recreation east of the Cascade crest at a public meeting here on Oct. 27-28.

The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), also took action on issues ranging from a land transfer at Wells Hatchery to new rules for commercially caught seafood.

The Simcoe Mountains property, the largest of two land acquisitions approved at the meeting, includes 1,150 acres off Highway 97 near Goldendale in Klickitat County. Reaching an elevation of 3,500 feet, the property includes stands of Oregon white oak and ponderosa pine, and supports a variety of species including mule deer, burrowing owls, and threatened western gray squirrels.

WDFW will pay Western Pacific Timber, LLC the assessed market value of $851,000 for the property, which is part of a multiphase plan to acquire 18,745 acres from the company in the Simcoe Mountains area.

“This addition to the Klickitat Wildlife Area will permanently protect prime wildlife habitat and provide public access to hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities for the people of our state,” said Cynthia Wilkerson, WDFW land manager.

Wilkerson said the department is also working with area conservation districts to ensure that the land will continue to include compatible timber and grazing activities that benefit the local community.

Farther north, the commission also approved the purchase of 142 acres in Kittitas County as part of the “Heart of the Cascades” project, a partnership formed in 2007 by WDFW and the Nature Conservancy to restore timber lands in central Washington for wildlife and outdoor recreation.

The department will pay the private owner $142,000 for the wooded parcel, which is part of a migration corridor for elk and includes a forest road that provides public access to thousands of acres previously acquired through the partnership.