Forty for Forty: Fifty for Fifty

Forty for Forty: Fifty for Fifty
by Andy Dappen

1/24/2026

Over the past year as I’ve written or edited the stories used in the Forty for Forty Series, I’ve frequently considered the unlikeliness that forty years ago a handful of community members, working as volunteers, accomplished so much. That handful gave birth to the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT), which now has over 2000 members and about 20 employees working regionally to conserve special lands and waterways. Regionally, the organization has permanently protected over 27,000 acres of natural lands and 17 miles of river shorelines in North Central Washington. For most of these conservation ‘wins,’ CDLT has provided public access to their properties, and built trails and trailheads facilitating that access. For all of their acquisitions, the organization permanently oversees and stewards the health of those properties. 

The achievement is impressive – particularly in light of the region’s political climate during the organization's first twenty years (1985 to 2005). At that time, the founders were often viewed as environmental wingnuts who were hampering progress and growth. The idea of conserving more river shorelines and natural lands adjacent to our communities – especially in Chelan County where 83 percent of the land was already in state or federal ownership – was viewed by most city officials, county commissioners, and state representatives as folly. This created formidable resistance among partners who were often needed to get deals done.

Through persistence, grant-funding mechanisms allowing the organization to hire staff, and through proof in the pudding (i.e., officials seeing that their citizenry used and valued the natural lands that the organization protected), perceptions about the importance of what the organization added to our communities slowly shifted. To the point that, today, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust is a valued voice at virtually all large-scale planning processes dealing with the future of our regional lands.

With this hard-earned recognition, the organization moves into its fifth decade of existence with a momentum that makes it realistic to dream about  what’s next. What will a writer report a decade from now when it’s time to celebrate the CDLT’s golden anniversary with a Fifty for Fifty Series?

My personal wish list – and I’ll emphasize this is not CDLT’s strategic plan but me dreaming – would continue to extend the organization’s work around its two-county region. Efforts might include: 1) expanding the Wenatchee foothills parcels of protected lands (and trails) south to the Squilchuck Road and/or Pitcher Canyon; 2) creating a continuous connection of foothills lands and trails between Wenatchee and Cashmere; 3) ensuring all of these foothills parcels connect to larger parcels of state or federal land to benefit the movement of wildlife; 4) facilitating efforts to create a walking-biking trail between Wenatchee and Leavenworth; 5) protecting properties on the East Wenatchee Bench for wildlife and people; 6) securing natural lands and public access in the foothills surrounding the town of Chelan;  7) strategizing with regional  governmental entities (ports, counties, municipalities, park districts, conservation districts, tribes) about processes that could expand the scope and pace of conservation; 8) expanding salmon-conservation efforts on our local tributaries; 9) doubling the organization’s membership.

Several of the stories within the Forty for Forty Series demonstrated how CDLT achievements  are anything but quick or straight-line happenings. Most, in fact, are many years in the making and some deals have taken upward of fifteen years to hatch. Conservation is a long game where possibilities are imagined, contacts made, conversations held, and seeds planted. Then years of waiting may occur. So many of the Land Trust’s accomplishments have relied on laying groundwork, demonstrating a willingness to work with landowners to achieve their goals as well the organization’s goals, touching base on occasion to show interest still exists, and then exercising patience. Sometimes these efforts are for naught. And sometimes they enable a future pleasing to the landowner, the Land Trust’s membership, and the public at large. 

To achieve what has happened over the past forty years and to attain what can be imagined for the decade ahead, takes far more than the employees hired by the Land Trust. It takes volunteers who help with the organization’ s work parties, planning committees, and board leadership. And it takes members who support the organization with muscle power, brain power, financial contributions, information, and connection to partners who can help opportunities coalesce. Which is to say it has taken many of us (a village!) to achieve the ‘wins’ we’ve won. It will require the same to actualize similar wins in the future.

Having been involved with the Land Trust on many levels over the past 25 years, I can attest that tugging together with others on the same rope to conserve large tracts of land throughout the Wenatchee foothills, plan and build trails on many of these properties, and save important salmon habitat along the White and Entiat rivers has been soul-satisfying work that has nourished me personally. The work has also enriched our communities. I encourage and invite you to put your own skin in the game during the decade ahead and help with efforts that will allow many visions imagined for the future to crystallize. Both you and the community will benefit from your involvement.

Details: Pitching In

• To get involved with CDLT as a member, volunteer, planner, or worker, click on the ‘Support Us’ tab at the home page (www.cdlandtrust.org). Browse some of the links in the pull down menu to think about how you might add your energy and skills to the mix.
• You can become a member by donating at any amount. Find membership information at www.cdlandtrust.org/support-us/donate. Membership numbers bolster the organization’s clout in planning efforts and ranking for the grants needed to fund acquisitions. And as a member, you’ll receive emails and newsletters announcing events, outings, and volunteer efforts. 
• Finally, consider contacting Elisa Lopez, the Engagement Manager ([email protected]), to discuss how you might contribute to the organization in a meaningful way.