Abbreviation | RIDGE ![]() |
---|---|
Established | 1988 ![]() |
Dissolved | 2014 ![]() |
Types | nonprofit organization ![]() |
Location | Roslyn ![]() |
Country | United States ![]() |
The Ridge Association (stylized as RIDGE) was a grassroots citizen's group based in Roslyn, Washington. The group was active from 1988 until 2014. RIDGE organized around issues related to sustainable forestry in Upper Kittitas County and Washington State. The group attempted to stop the development of the Suncadia Resort and reform logging practices on state-owned and privately-owned forest land. [1]
During its active years, RIDGE was a citizens' advisory committee for the city of Roslyn forestry issues, participated in state-wide sustainable forestry coalitions, sponsored town meetings, and took legal action to protect forest lands in the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area. RIDGE dissolved shortly after the termination of the Settlement Agreement between RIDGE and Suncadia. [2]
Upper Kittitas County residents formed RIDGE in the summer of 1988 when they realized that they shared concerns about harvest rates on forest lands in the area. Shortly after its founding, Plum Creek Timber Company announced plans to harvest 15,000 acres of sell-able timber in Kittitas County. After Plum Creek's announcement, RIDGE gathered signatures and hosted meetings in opposition to Plum Creek's logging plans from 1988 to 1989. The Washington State Land Commissioner also invited RIDGE to the Sustainable Forestry Roundtable, a state-wide forum called in which they participated. [3]
From 1990 until 1992, RIDGE mapped, monitored, and made recommendations for forest use in Forest Practices Applications. [lower-alpha 1] RIDGE asserted that these application failed to account for the accumulative logging effects on side-by-side parcels of land. [1]
By the early 1990s, land developers were buying previously-logged land parcels in Kittitas County. RIDGE took a broader focus on land use and used Washington State's newly-passed Growth Management Act and other planning regulations to promote protective zoning restrictions. [6] As a result of RIDGE's efforts, Kittitas County designated some of Plum Creek Timber Company's land for proposed development as "forestlands of long-term commercial significance". Kittitas County then removed 7,600 acres of Plum Creek Timber's land from the standard planning process. [3]
In 1996, Trendwest Resorts bought land from Plum Creek Timber Company to develop the first master planned resort in the state of Washington. RIDGE was concerned about the ecological and economic effects the proposed resort might have on the area. RIDGE rallied community support for mitigations to protect Roslyn and the surrounding environment from the impacts of the resort's development. [7] In 2001, RIDGE sued, claiming that the county failed to conduct a thorough study, and that Kittitas County would thus unduly protect Trendwest from changes in environmental law and zoning for 30 years. [8] In July 2002, Tendwest and RIDGE negotiated then subsequently signed a settlement agreement containing protections for senior water rights for the City of Roslyn, Suncadia's purchase and donation of land to form the Roslyn Urban Forest, union labor contracts for the resort's development, a defined footprint of the resort, and more. [9] [10]
Between 2001 and 2006, four amendments were added to the settlement agreement to account for the resort and community's evolving development needs. RIDGE monitored and enforced the agreement during this period of time. In 2009, the resort's owners pursued legal action against RIDGE to terminate the settlement agreement—claiming that RIDGE violated terms of the agreement due to a failure to pay $50,000 for water rights, a condition of the contract. [11] After years of litigation, Kittitas County Superior Court Judge Scott R. Sparks terminated the Settlement Agreement between RIDGE and Trendwest on July 15, 2013. [12]
From the mid-2000s until the termination of the RIDGE/Trendwest Settlement Agreement in 2013, RIDGE spent most of its time and resources overseeing the conditions of the agreement. After RIDGE announced its plan to forego any additional appeals. RIDGE's then-president, Douglas Kilgore, stated that despite RIDGE's belief that it could win an appeal, Suncadia's opposition to the agreement would force it back to the courts, and that "RIDGE has always sought real and function mitigation, not legal battles". [13] RIDGE dissolved in 2014. [14]
Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was estimated to be 18,703 in 2022.
The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. Lewis and Clark mention in their journals that the Chin-nâm pam called the river Tâpe têtt, possibly from the French tape-tête, meaning "head hit". The length of the river from headwaters to mouth is 214 miles (344 km), with an average drop of 9.85 feet per mile (1.866 m/km). It is the longest river entirely in Washington state.
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used narrowly to describe the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard. In common usage, however, the term may cover a range of forestry or silviculture activities.
Kittitas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. At the 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg. The county was created in November 1883 when it was carved out of Yakima County. Kittitas County comprises the Ellensburg, Washington, Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Cle Elum is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,157 at the 2020 census. About 84 miles (135 km) by car from Seattle, Cle Elum is a popular area for camping and outdoor activities. It is also unofficially considered the starting point of Eastern Washington when driving east on I-90 from Seattle, although this is somewhat arbitrary since many consider either the town of Easton, anywhere east of Keechelus Lake, or the wildlife crossing bridge over I-90 to be the starting point.
Roslyn is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2020 census. Roslyn is located in the Cascade Mountains, about 80 miles east of Seattle. The town was founded in 1886 as a coal mining company town. During the 20th century, the town gradually transitioned away from coal, and today its economy is primarily based on forestry and tourism. The town was the filming location for The Runner Stumbles, Northern Exposure, and The Man in the High Castle. Many of the town's historical structures have been preserved, and its downtown was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Thorp is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. In 2020, the population was 232.
The Weyerhaeuser Company is an American timberland company which owns nearly 12,400,000 acres of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional 14,000,000 acres of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company has manufactured wood products for over a century. It operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT).
Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. was a timberland owner and manager, as well as a forest products, mineral extraction, and property development company, until it merged with Weyerhaeuser Company. It was headquartered in Suite 3100 at 601 Union Street in Seattle.
Forestry laws govern activities in designated forest lands, most commonly with respect to forest management and timber harvesting. Forestry laws generally adopt management policies for public forest resources, such as multiple use and sustained yield. Forest management is split between private and public management, with public forests being sovereign property of the State. Forestry laws are now considered an international affair.
Suncadia is an unincorporated community and resort in Kittitas County, Washington, covering an area of 6,300 acres (25.5 km2). It is located approximately 80 miles (130 km) east of Seattle in the Cascade Mountains between Roslyn, Cle Elum, and the Mountains to Sound Greenway section of Interstate 90.
State Route 903 (SR 903) is a 10.06-mile-long (16.19 km) state highway located entirely in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The highway links Lake Cle Elum to Roslyn, Cle Elum and SR 970, which provides access to Interstate 90. The highway has existed as a numbered highway since at least 1939, however a highway linking Lake Cle Elum to Cle Elum has existed since 1897. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) had previously considered turning control of the highway over to Kittitas County, however this never happened, and WSDOT continues to maintain the highway.
State Route 821 (SR 821) is a state highway in central Washington state. It runs for 25 miles (40 km) through the Yakima Canyon, following the meandering Yakima River between Selah and Ellensburg. Both ends of the highway are at interchanges with Interstate 82 (I-82) and U.S. Route 97 (US 97).
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Teanaway is a small settlement in Kittitas County, Washington. It is located at the junction of State Route 10 and State Route 970. It is located east of Cle Elum and west of Ellensburg. The surrounding area is known as the Teanaway River Valley.
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