From Plan to Protection in the Upper Wenatchee

2/6/2026 | Years of Planning Lead to Conservation Success in the Upper Wenatchee

Much of Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) conservation work is accomplished through years-long collaboration with partner organizations. Such is the case with privately owned forest lands in Chelan County.

In the mid-2010s, CDLT, the Trust for Public Land, Chelan County, and others conducted an extensive study of public use and conservation values across tens of thousands of acres then in commercial forestry ownership in the Wenatchee watershed. The Upper Wenatchee Community Lands Plan produced a framework for prioritizing these properties.

The first completed transaction was the Nason Ridge Community Forest, where Chelan County purchased 3,700 acres near Lake Wenatchee to manage for public access, forest health, and salmon recovery.

The Trust for Public Land, CDLT’s national conservation partner, secured a historic option agreement allowing it to work with potential buyers of the remaining up to 35,000 acres.

In late 2025, the Trust for Public Land and the Forest Service successfully closed the first conservation acquisition under this option agreement, protecting 11,520 acres in the lower Wenatchee watershed. We have also received word that Congress has appropriated additional funding to acquire more of these optioned lands within the next few years.

Kudos to the Trust for Public Land, the Forest Service, and to CDLT members who support the hours and years of work needed to protect wildlife habitat and public access.

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