1208 Bay Street #201
Bellingham, WA 98225
Non Profit Org.
US POSTAGE
PAID
Blaine, WA
Permit No. 106
Please renew your membership!
conservationnw.org/join-us
A hang glider descends over the forested
foot of Blanchard Mountain, where the
Chuckanuts meet the sea. Photo: © Paul Anderson
Thank you to our dedicated
activists and members of the conser-
vation community who have spoken
loudly to protect the core of Blanchard
State Forest from logging!
Located south of Bellingham off Chuck-
anut Drive, Blanchard is a hugely pop-
ular recreation area visited by as many
as 100,000 people each year. Managed
by the Washington State Department
of Natural Resources and encompass-
ing Blanchard Mountain and popular
Oyster Dome, the forest features wild-
life watching and prized hiking, horse-
back riding and biking trails.
Since the mid-2000s, we've been a
leader in efforts to conserve this spe-
cial place. In 2007, we helped craft the
Blanchard Forest Strategy agreement,
identifying a 1,600-acre core zone that
would be protected for recreation and
environmental qualities and would no
longer be logged for state trust lands
Logging on hold, but Blanchard
Mountain funding not yet finalized
beneficiaries. However, to implement
the Strategy DNR needed funding to
purchase replacement timberlands to
offset those in the core zone.
After passionate advocacy in Olympia
from our organization, our WILD NW Ac-
tivists, and numerous other recreation
and conservation leaders, funds to pre-
serve the Blanchard core were included
in both the state House and Senate bud-
get proposals during the 2017 legisla-
tive session. Frustratingly, the Capital
Budget was stalled due to disagreement
over unrelated issues, and the legisla-
ture adjourned without passing it.
Despite the lack of a funding bill this
past session, we've recently received
some exciting news. With general
agreement among state lawmakers
on funding to resolve this issue,
Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary
Franz committed to not logging the
Blanchard core in the short term.
facebook.com/conservationnw
We're hopeful Blanchard Mountain will
finally be protected during the 2018 leg-
islative session, and we'll be working
closely with DNR and other stakehold-
ers to ensure funding is fully secured.
Look for additional updates as they be-
come available this coming winter!
–Chase Gunnell
