Nason Ridge - a huge success story!

Nason Ridge Community Forest 

Nason Ridge is a highly visible, forested mountainside above Lake Wenatchee that is used year-round for recreation and forms a dominant part of the Lake Wenatchee viewshed. The property provides important fish and wildlife habitat and includes over two miles of Nason Creek, a critical salmon spawning stream and a key source of cold water for the Wenatchee River.

On April 14, 2022, Nason Ridge became a Community Forest when Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) transferred the 3,714-acre property on Lake Wenatchee to Chelan County. This historic achievement is the result of a four-year effort by WRC, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Chelan County and local community members. 

In 2018, WRC negotiated a deal with Weyerhaeuser to purchase the property. It then joined forces with CDLT, Chelan County and the local community to raise funds to permanently protect Nason Ridge by conveying it to a steward that could keep the property intact and in public hands forever. 

Following WRC’s purchase of Nason Ridge, the partners needed to raise $6 million to pay for the conveyance of the property to Chelan County and to underwrite its stewardship as a community forest and public recreation area. Together, CDLT, WRC and local community members raised over $1 million in private funds through the Save Nason Ridge Campaign. The partners then spearheaded an effort to raise the remaining funds through a variety of public and private sources, including $3 million from the Washington State Community Forest Program and the remainder from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Chelan PUD Tributary Fund, the Grant PUD Priest Rapids Coordinating Committee, the Washington Department of Ecology, private foundations and others.

NASON RIDGE represents:

• Clean, clear water for people and imperiled salmon
• A striking landscape, with breathtaking views from Lake Wenatchee
• A connection to place for families, community and visitors for generations
• A beloved year-round escape for skiing, biking, and exploring
• A real economic benefit, drawing a share of the over $20 billion spent in the pursuit of outdoor recreation in Washington State each year
• An opportunity to protect homes and communities from wildfire by caring for our forests with long-term goals in mind

This land will now be managed for the long-term health of the forest, Lake Wenatchee, and Nason Creek. Any benefits, whether economic, educational, recreational or environmental, would remain local. The land will continue to purify the water that flows into our waterways. The trail system cherished by so many will remain. Lake Wenatchee's breathtaking views are protected forever. 

Click here for more information about Washington's Community Forests. 

Save Nason Ridge Campaign - 2018

Nason Ridge is many things to many people. It’s a place to hike or mountain bike in the summer. It’s a place to ski in winter. It’s part of a cherished natural landscape rising above Lake Wenatchee. And it’s a part of the natural balance of Lake Wenatchee, the Wenatchee River and Nason Creek. 

Nason Ridge was also a property that was slated for timber harvest. Petition signers grabbed the attention of Weyerhaeuser in the summer of 2017, stopping the road-building process.  In 2017-2018, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust partnered with Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) to help WRC buy and conserve this critical property. The volunteer fundraising team worked tirelessly to reach out to their friends and neighbors to let them know about this opportunity. The long list of endorsers who were willing to lend their names amplified the campaign.

The campaign was a huge success - surpassing our $1 million goal! Western Rivers Conservancy held the land as interim owner, allowing for public use and enjoyment of the property while they identified the permanent steward of the land. 

A forest plan, developed by our community, would determine how best to manage the land. A draft plan was crafted in the fall of 2019, and was delivered to the legislature for their potential action in 2020.