Conservation Northwest

"...the neighbors seem to be relieved that Richards Canyon (as the area is known) will not be divided up." One of Bob Hall's two cabins and his pond. The property could have been split into 18 or more separate vacation homes, threatening local wildlife. Photo: Chase Gunnell Now that you've had a few months experience with your Chili- wist place, how do you feel about owning it? It is exactly what I expected and hoped for. It is rare to hear an airplane or a motor of any kind and the difference in climate and topography is like flying to another part of the planet, yet it is only four hours away. e Carlton Complex Fire raged through your area right a er you purchased. Did that experience effect you in any ways you might not have predicted? I neglected to insure the three cabin buildings because the insur- ance company needed specific photos of the houses. We were in Twisp only 30 minutes away from the property to take those pictures when the road was blocked and the fire came down the canyon that night. To say the least I was worried until a neighbor drove up the road four days later and confirmed that only the tool shed was gone. Most of the neighboring houses were burnt as it turned out, including over 36 in the Chiliwist area alone. I've been told by the firefighters because it was nighttime (when the fire reached the property), the fire was subdued and it came down over the hill, not up through the canyon. It burnt the grass right up to the foundation but the cabins were spared. What thoughts or benefit come most to mind when you think about the place now? I'm thinking for the price of a house on Lake Whatcom with 100 feet of waterfront, I have 500 acres and a private lake with a one-and- half-mile driveway. So from that view point, if the idea is to get close to nature and have access to water this was a very good investment. In what ways has this purchase added value to the lives of your family? First it is a nature retreat for friends and family, and secondly I can protect the plants and animals from further development in the future. Are there ways in which you think your ownership adds value to the land or local community? I actually bought around eighteen 20-plus acre parcels. So I was able to put back together an existing cattle farm which had been advertised as a vacation 20-acre trailer park. How have you been received by the local community? Because I was able to combine all these lots into one parcel, which contains both sides of a box canyon, I've been more than well received as the neighbors seem to be relieved that Richards Canyon (as the area is known) will not be divided up. Although upon hearing that I was from Bellingham, one of the neighbors whose grandfather was an origi- nal homesteader in the valley said he didn't like the fact that "Mitch Friedman was trying to get the wolves back in the Chiliwist." He said his "grandfather and his friends spent a lot of time ridding this area of those beasts." inking ahead a decade or two, can you imagine what out- comes might give you great satisfaction in having had the ex- perience of conservation ownership? Just getting familiar with that much land, and all the critters that live on it, will be reward enough. The Hall family at the cabin on the Chiliwist property. Photo: Kane Hall *Editor's Note: Unfortunately, the Chiliwist Wildlife Area was badly burned during the Carlton Complex Fire, but with the ex- ception of one shed, Hall's cabins were spared. is area provides important habitat for mule deer and many other shrub-steppe species. e development of 18 cabins or houses directly next to this wildlife area could have been a substantial threat to local wildlife populations and their habitat. Fortunately Hall's pur- chase keeps the area intact with limited development and a very minor impact on the ecosystem. Interview series Keeping the Northwest wild Winter 2015 11

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