News & Press

WENATCHEE, WA – Mule deer herds need a quiet place to save energy during the lean winter months. That’s why Sage Hills trails system will close to all outdoor recreation starting Dec. 1 until around April 1.

WENATCHEE - The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) recently announced the acquisition of a 398-acre property in the Wenatchee Foothills, which encompasses Castle Rock.

The property transfer came from Frank Peryea and Betsy Beers, who have been associated with the parcel for over two decades.

WENATCHEE — The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT) continues adding acreage to conserve recreational trails for everyone, but it’s coming with some growing pains.

In December, the CDLT worked with the city of Wenatchee to acquire 430 acres of land from the state to double the size of the Saddle Rock Natural Area.

And recently, the CDLT acquired a 20-acre parcel to expand the area even more.

“(But) with the more land we acquire, the more people have been using the land,” said CDLT executive director, Eunice Youmans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Wenatchee Mountains Checker-mallow Working Group received the 2022 Recovery Champion awards, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced Friday.

The group helped recover the endangered Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow plant that only grows in a few meadows of Chelan County.

Two of the award recipients, Brad and Kathy Schmidt, conserved the second-largest population of checker-mallows at their Mountain Home Lodge, just outside of Leavenworth.

WENATCHEE, WA – The Wenatchee Foothills trail systems will re-open for outdoor recreation April 1.

Every year, several trails in the Wenatchee foothills close to provide winter refuge for mule deer and other wildlife, typically Dec. 1-April 1.

“We want to thank everyone for giving local herds some space,” said Von Pope, Chelan PUD Wildlife Biologist. “The greening of the foothills provides their first source of good calories for months.”

WENATCHEE — The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Chelan-Douglas Land Trust is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. A public comment period is now open.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs.

Wenatchee World | Jan 20, 2023 | by Suzanne Hartman, Board Member / Micky Fleming Lands Program Manager Chelan-Douglas Land Trust
 
 
In the waning hours of the 117th Congress on December 23, 2022, the Omnibus Spending Bill was passed. Buried deep within that bill was legislation known as The Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act (H.R. 4164/S. 2256). Not something that grabbed the headlines at year’s end.

by Andrew Bowman, president & CEO of the Land Trust Alliance.

After years of hard work and persistence by the Land Trust Alliance, our land trust members and our allies on Capitol Hill — and in the face of well-resourced opposition — Congress finally passed the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act as part of its year-end “omnibus” spending bill.

WENATCHEE — The new director of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust came a long way to head up that agency. Eunice Youmans was deeply involved for years in conservation projects on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. She’s been settling in for the last three months since Curt Soper retired as director of the land trust, which owns or manages about 26,000 acres in the two counties. Eunice spoke with NCWLIFE this week about her background, and what she sees in the nonprofit’s future.

by Rufus Woods, Wenatchee World

When it comes to strengthening community by bringing people together to find common ground, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust stands out as one of the most influential and effective organizations in North Central Washington.

Virtually everyone in this valley and region loves the natural beauty here. The CDLT has been instrumental in reminding us of that common ground and creating opportunities for people to work together to enhance public access and protect critical lands for generations to come.

LAKE WENATCHEE, Washington—Washington’s newest community forest was brought to life on Thursday, April 14 when Western Rivers Conservancy transferred the 3,714-acre Nason Ridge property on Lake Wenatchee to Chelan County. This historic achievement is the result of a four-year effort by Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC), Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT), Chelan County and local community members. 

WENATCHEE, WA - Chinook Forest Partners (CFP) and Trust for Public Land (TPL) have entered into an agreement that creates the framework for TPL’s purchase of approximately 35,000 acres in Chelan County over the next seven years. CFP and TPL will work with Chelan County, the greater Wenatchee community, adjacent landowners, federal, state, and tribal agencies, and other partners to develop and execute plans to transition the private working forestland into new ownership to be managed for wildfire risk mitigation, public recreation, wildlife, and other uses.