Roslyn Saves Local Forest
The Ridge provides a 180-degree green backdrop for town's skyline
ROSLYN, Kittitas County -- There will be celebrating tonight at a meeting of the Roslyn City Council.
A 300-acre strip of Cle Elum Ridge, a timbered, trail-webbed piece of ground known simply as The Ridge, will fall into public ownership, making it off-limits to loggers and home builders.
"They were getting ready to log it," said Peg Bryant, president of RIDGE, a local citizens group that has been working to protect Roslyn's way of life. "We were to have heard today one way or the other on our appeal (of the loggers' plan).
"So, my gosh, it was close."
With help from the Cascade Land Conservancy, the deal was struck between RIDGE, the land conservancy and developers of a mammoth new resort called MountainStar. The city of Roslyn will take possession of the land.
In exchange, the developers get to build a second bridge over the Cle Elum River, improving the flow of traffic through the development.
"This is tremendous, just tremendous," said Roslyn Mayor Jerri Porter.
The historic mining community lies in the dry, timbered hills above Cle Elum in Kittitas County, 85 miles east of Seattle and about 3 miles north of Interstate 90 near the confluence of the Cle Elum and Yakima rivers.
Continue reading in the Seattle P-I:
Roslyn saves land from loggers