KGMI News
The legislature’s failure to pass a Capital Budget has put Blanchard Mountain in peril of being logged.
The mountain above Chuckanut Drive is a favorite for hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers, and includes the popular Oyster Dome.
It’s managed by the state Department of Natural Resources which reached an agreement with conservation groups to protect a 16-hundred acre core from logging.
Money to off-set that protection is in the Capital Budget, but the Republican controlled state Senate refused to pass it.
Mitch Friedman with Conservation Northwest said state Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has stepped in to temporarily protect the area from logging.
But he says he’s optimistic that the Capital Budget will finally pass now that Democrats have a majority in the Senate.