More Protection for Wild Sky Wilderness

Beautiful Silver Lake is a popular hiking destination in Washington

February 12, 2021 – Exploring the Wild Sky Wilderness in Washington state is like stepping back in time before early settlers began to dramatically alter the landscape. Thickly forested slopes and valleys lie in the shadow of high jagged peaks, protecting nearly all of the flora and fauna that existed hundreds of years ago. Old-growth trees and endangered wildlife species thrive as a result of its remote location, mind-boggling amount of annual precipitation and permanent protection via wilderness designation.

Unfortunately, the landscape is also riddled with mining claims from a time when resource extraction helped to fuel the growth of nearby Seattle and its surrounding area. Development of these claims threaten the very characteristics for which the designation was established.

In response, The Wilderness Land Trust has worked diligently for more than two decades to acquire these claims. Thanks to your generous support, we have purchased nearly 1,500 acres in designated wilderness areas throughout Washington, including the Wild Sky, Henry M. Jackson, Buckhorn, Glacier Peak, Mount Baker and Juniper Dunes Wilderness areas.

Adding to this total is another 31-acre parcel we recently purchased in the heart of the Wild Sky Wilderness, thereby removing the threat of mining or private development on this property forever. Additional protection is on the way this year, and I look forward to sharing more good news as several new projects develop.

Learn how you can help us protect this special northwest landscape and others throughout the western United States.

A Cherished Team Member Departs

Lisa Janeway on a recent site visit in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Colorado

Lisa Janeway on a recent site visit in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Colorado

January 29, 2020 – In 2013, Lisa Janeway joined The Wilderness Land Trust as administrative director, helping to manage the day-to-day needs of the organization. Her unbeatable combination of smarts, tireless work ethic and attention to detail resulted in her promotion to director of operations in 2019, occupying an important role within our lands program to help ensure each successful project.

Always up for an outdoor adventure, some of Lisa’s favorite project site visit memories include navigating a treacherous two-track in a 2WD truck on ranch property before it was added to the Sabinoso Wilderness, scrambling on foot across alpine tundra high in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness looking for boundary markers, and running for cover during an afternoon lightning storm high atop a plateau in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico.

Lisa recently shared what she appreciated most about her time at the Trust: “I am beyond grateful for the opportunities The Wilderness Land Trust has provided me in the last eight years. Every member of the staff and board is deeply committed to wilderness and that personal connection is felt in every decision made. The Trust is continually marching forward, even during challenging times. Thank you to all of the partners and donors that make this work possible!”

Good things come to good people, and while we’re sad to announce that Lisa is leaving the Trust, all of us are thrilled about a well-earned opportunity to pursue the next step in her conservation career. Well done!

Thank you Lisa, for eight years of outstanding dedication to The Wilderness Land Trust. We look forward to seeing you shine in your new role as stewardship director of the Mountain Area Land Trust in Colorado, and hopefully partnering on a future project together.

Protecting Natural Processes in Colorado’s Wilderness

December 7, 2020 – Wildfires are a natural occurrence within Colorado’s forest ecosystem, paving the way for removal of dead trees and plant debris, regenerating the soil, and creating a mosaic of young and old trees that support a diversity of wildlife species. But the development of private land within designated wilderness disrupts this natural process and puts homes and lives, including firefighters, in danger as agencies direct considerable resources to suppress them.

Colorado’s Mount Massive Wilderness

As you contemplate many worthy causes to support on Colorado Gives Day this Tuesday, consider our work in the Collegiate Peaks and Mount Massive Wilderness areas. In the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, we recently purchased 19-acres of land on spectacular Independence Pass and removed the last remaining threat of private development from this section of the wilderness. In the Mount Massive Wilderness, where Coloradans find peace in dropping a line, soaking in the sun and admiring native wildflowers, we are in the process of transferring a final inholding to the U.S. Forest Service, making this beautiful wilderness whole.

Since The Wilderness Land Trust’s first land acquisition in Colorado in 1992, we have purchased 126 private parcels of land totaling 5,868 acres to prevent development in Colorado’s designated wilderness areas and reduce the dangers inherent to wildfire season.

Thank you for your unwavering support in our work. Please join us for Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 8 or schedule your donation in advance. We couldn’t do it without partners like you.

Wilderness Land Trust Presentation on Land Acquisitions

November 19, 2020 – The Wilderness Land Trust staff recently hosted a zoom call to give supporters an inside look at the Trust’s work to protect our nation’s designated wilderness areas. The presentation offered a behind the scenes look at our current projects, including what made them successful and the challenges they faced.

This presentation is now available to the public. If you have any questions about our work, please feel free to contact us at (206) 397-5240 or via email at brad@wildernesslandtrust.org.

A Final Piece of the Puzzle Falls Into Place

The Ferruginous Hawk is a threatened and endangered species in Washington state

November 13, 2020 – Within The Juniper Dunes Wilderness lives the northern most growth of western juniper that dates back 150 years. This land in southeast Washington state is often battered by strong winds that build upon its impressive 130-foot high sand dunes. It’s also home to the Ferruginous Hawk, a state threatened and endangered species.

Juniper Dunes is the only wilderness area in this state managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This landscape sees about a foot of snow in the winter and summer temperatures that regularly soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite these harsh conditions, plenty of animals thrive in the Juniper Dunes, including mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, badgers, weasels, porcupines, kangaroo rats and rattlesnakes.

Your generous support made it possible for the Trust to purchase a 236-acre property – the last private inholding – in the heart of this more than 7,000-acre wilderness. In doing so, you have helped remove the threat of future development on this harsh, beautiful area.

On behalf of the entire staff and board, thank you for making this possible.

The Trust is now working through the complex process of transferring this property to the BLM and when we’re done, this wild and windy wilderness will be complete.

A Path to Wilderness

October 16, 2020 – Designated wilderness protects vital habitat for threatened and endangered flora and fauna. Every acre we acquire and transfer is part of a collective effort to remove the threat of private development and make our wilderness areas whole.

Each project is an opportunity to fulfill our vision for a healthy, diverse and unified wilderness ecosystem across the American west.

In fiscal year 2019-20, we took another step toward accomplishing our mission with the purchase of 1,495 acres of private land and the transfer of just over 354 acres to public ownership. It almost goes without saying that we could not have done this work without supporters like you and without our invaluable partnerships with landowners, agency staff, sportsmen, conservation and recreation advocates, volunteers and foundations.

The past year has been daunting to say the least. We could never have imagined that we would face the kind of headwinds that have rocked our nation and the world. But as we look out over the landscape and the more than three dozen projects currently underway at the Trust, we are grateful and energized to have you beside us on the path to wilderness.

Thank you. We encourage you to check out the successes in our latest Annual Report and share it with your family and friends. Don’t forget to let them know that you are a part of our success story.

Denise on a rafting trip

The Trust Welcomes a New Board Chair

October 2, 2020 – The Wilderness Land Trust is pleased to announce Denise Schlener as the new chair of our board of directors. Denise has served on our board since 2013, sharing her extensive experience in building sustainable and effective organizations.

Denise’s career in conservation began with the Wilderness Society where she worked toward the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Act. This successful effort led to important roles leading the Connecticut chapter of the Nature Conservancy, director of National Services for the Land Trust Alliance and many more.

However, Denise says her passion for wild lands started much earlier than this:

“My passion for wilderness conservation started very young with camping trips to the Adirondacks and national parks with my aunt and uncle,” says Denise. “That was the beginning of my backcountry explorations in our nation’s wilderness areas and wildlands from Alaska to Vermont and many places in between.”

Denise resides in Washington DC where she currently serves as the chief operating officer of Polaris, a nonprofit dedicated to ending human trafficking. In addition to the Trust, she is on the board of the Tregaron Conservancy, an urban land trust in the heart of DC.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to Karen Fisher for successfully leading the Trust as board chair during the past three and a half years, and are thrilled that Karen remains on our board as vice chair and treasurer.

Please continue to visit our website for the latest Wilderness Land Trust news, and thank you for your continued support of our mission and vision to keep the promise of wilderness alive.

A Win for the Wild Sky

September 17, 2020 – The Wild Sky Wilderness is part of a 2.6 million-acre wilderness complex in Washington state that straddles the Cascade Mountain Range from Canada south to Snoqualmie Pass. It is a rugged and remote landscape, characterized by steep valleys, exposed ridgetops, old-growth forest and dense vegetation resulting from 150 – 200 inches of annual precipitation. It is also home to a large number of mining claims The Wilderness Land Trust has been working to acquire for more than two decades.

Within and adjacent to the Silver Creek drainage of the Wild Sky Wilderness, the Trust has five active projects underway, and I am pleased to announce the latest acquisition of 160-acres that straddles the wilderness boundary. We originally purchased the surface rights to the property in May of 2019. At that time, the mineral rights were under separate ownership. Through a lengthy legal process, these rights have been unified with the land.

We now turn our attention to transferring the property over to the U.S. Forest Service as part of an ongoing effort to stitch together the fabric of the wilderness.

Thank you for your continued support of our work to protect the Wild Sky Wilderness, now and for future generations.

The Trust Removes Development Threat from Independence Pass

September 2, 2020 – The Wilderness Land Trust has purchased a 19-acre inholding east of Aspen just off of Highway 82 in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. In the last three years, the organization has purchased two other inholdings totaling an additional 19 acres and with this most recent purchase, the Trust has removed the last remaining threat of private development in this area of the Collegiate Peaks.

This 19-acre parcel is visible from the road and along a popular hiking trail. Without protection, it was vulnerable to residential development, which would have disrupted plant and animal habitat and threatened access to the trail. With a generous matching grant from a local resident and contributions from the AABC, Alpenglow, BF, Independence Pass, Iselin and Oak Foundations, as well as numerous individuals in the Aspen area, the Trust raised the funds needed to acquire this critical property.

Purchasing this land is the first of a two step process. The Trust will now work with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to clean up the property before transferring it to public ownership. This work includes removing a metal roof, wood burning stove and other debris from in and around a cabin. Because the cabin is of historical significance, the log walls will remain. Once cleanup of the property is complete, the Trust plans to transfer the property to the USFS to be incorporated into the surrounding wilderness area.

“Our mission is to keep the promise of wilderness by acquiring and transferring private lands to public ownership that complete designated and proposed wilderness areas,” says Brad Borst, president, The Wilderness Land Trust. “The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness near Independence Pass is a special region known for its magnificent alpine landscapes. We are grateful for the generous support from local organizations and residents who jumped in to help us protect this piece of Colorado paradise.”

The Wilderness Land Trust is partnering with The Independence Pass Foundation to raise the funds needed to complete the transfer of this project. Individuals or organizations interested in helping can contact Kelly Conde at kelly@wildernesslandtrust.org or 206-842-1214.

The Wilderness Land Trust Earns National Recognition

August 21, 2020 – Americans strongly support saving the open spaces they love. Since our founding in 1992 The Wilderness Land Trust has been doing just that – protecting more than 52,000 acres to date. With three dozen active projects stretching from Alaska to Arizona, more wilderness is on the way.

To enhance our commitment to this work, we are pleased to announce the renewal of our land trust accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. As part of a network of more than 400 accredited land trusts across the nation, our accreditation confirms our dedication to maintaining the highest standards in land conservation to permanently protect places like the Organ Mountains Wilderness in New Mexico, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in Colorado, and many, many more.

To achieve re-accreditation, we provided extensive documentation on the Trust’s lands program and overall organizational management, and underwent a comprehensive third party evaluation. Having our accreditation renewed means the commission is confident The Wilderness Land Trust will continue to pursue its mission with the utmost professionalism.

Thank you for your generous investment in our work and please feel free to share this good news with family and friends. We are honored that you are a part of our organization.