[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 22, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT FOR SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST

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                           HON. JENNIFER DUNN

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 1996

  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing 
legislation to adjust the boundary of the Snoqualmie National Forest to 
allow private lands owned by the Weyerhaeuser Co. located next to the 
Snoqualmie National Forest to become a part of the National Forest.
  This boundary adjustment will facilitate a land exchange which 
involves approximately 7,200 acres of National Forest land and 33,000 
acres of private land owned by the Weyerhaeuser Co., of which about 
6,278 are outside the present boundary of the Snoqualmie National 
Forest. This boundary adjustment is known as the Huckleberry Land 
Exchange.
  This landmark agreement has been several years in the making and was 
brought about by a collaborative and cooperative effort between the 
Sierra Club's Checkerboard Project and the Weyerhaeuser Co. The 
Huckleberry Land Exchange includes acreage that is west of the Cascade 
Crest in King and Pierce Counties and will add a substantial donation 
of land by Weyerhaeuser into the national Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.
  By entering into this cooperative agreement with the Sierra Club's 
Checkerboard Project, the public will benefit from a substantial 
donation of land. This donation will be one of only a few added this 
year into our Nation's wilderness areas. By consolidating ownership, an 
additional connecting corridor of wildlife habitat between the Alpine 
Lakes Wilderness and the Mount Si Conservation Area will be created. 
Also, we will be able to add substantial acreage to the I-90 viewshed--
the area visible to the public from I-90--to support the objectives of 
the Mountain to Sound Greenway Trust. The Trust is a nonprofit 
organization whose sole purpose is to create and permanently protect a 
multipurpose greenway along Interstate-90 from the foothills of the 
Cascade Mountains across Snoqualmie Pass to Puget Sound.
  To accomplish the land exchange through the administrative process, 
an Environmental Impact Statement must be completed. This document is 
expected to be published at the end of May. After the public comment 
period, a final Environmental Impact Statement will be released. In 
order to give the Forest Service authority to administer the exchange 
area, introduction and passage of congressional boundary modification 
legislation is necessary in 1996.
  The Huckleberry Land Exchange is a win-win proposal that enhances 
both parties land ownership patterns administratively and 
environmentally. By consolidating ownership the Forest Service will be 
able to implement a more effective ecosystem-based management that will 
allow for wetland protection and long-term protection for wildlife. It 
is of importance to note that the land acquired by Weyerhaeuser will be 
managed for long-term timber production, and will include specific 
measures to protect water quality, aesthetics, and other resources as 
required by the Washington State Forest Practices Act and beyond.
  Mr. Speaker, this land exchange is a text book example of how land 
disputes can be resolved between parties that are willing to look for 
areas of agreement rather than differences.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Resources 
Committee to bring this measure to the whole House for passage this 
session.

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