Efforts to Save Cougar Mountain's DeLeo Wall Property from Clearcutting Continue
The following is written by Save DeLeo Wall’s Eva Lundahl to the members of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club. The IATC fully supports the efforts of Save DeLeo Wall and their fundraiser.
In 2018, the owner of the privately owned hillside on Cougar Mt, known locally as the “DeLeo Wall”, was granted a logging permit by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, despite protests from more than 200 concerned citizens and strong objections from both the City of Newcastle and City of Renton. The plans call for a clearcut, which will destroy trails and habitat, and impact streams, wetlands, and riparian zones. Logging such a precarious property is a regional issue that could lead to devastating erosion, landslides, and runoffs into the May Creek Basin. Slash debris left behind from logging may also pose a significant fire hazard.
The City of Newcastle has appealed DNR’s decision and court proceedings are underway, as are negotiations with the owners’ attorneys. The City has partnered with Forterra, a local land conservation nonprofit organization, with the goal of purchasing the property and preserving it as green space. These efforts are strongly supported by the Save DeLeo Wall Campaign, a citizen-led group working to raise awareness and raise support in the community for conservation of the property. Since the logging permit was granted, representatives from the Save DeLeo Wall Campaign have also met with King County officials, Renton City Council members, local trails and preservation groups, and have attended town hall meetings, and community events. More than 140 people attended a City Council meeting in May 2019 and spoke against logging DeLeo Wall. The Campaign maintains a website (www.savedeleowall.org) and a Facebook group to keep citizens informed.
Fundraising
In the fall of 2019, the City was able to obtain a large conservation grant from the County that can be used to purchase the land. At this time however, the owner of the DeLeo Wall property has not expressed interest in selling. In December 2019, the City of Newcastle asked the Save DeLeo Wall Campaign to raise money for a full appraisal of the property, so its market value can be accurately established. This is necessary to apply for more grants and make a fair purchase offer. The appraisal will cost $35,000 and we need to raise the money by January 31. 2020. Forterra has agreed to forego admin fees and have set up a fundraising page through which people can donate: https://forterra.org/give-deleo-wall Please consider supporting this important conservation effort on Cougar Mountain!
Newcastle City Council Meeting on January 21, at 7pm
The Save DeLeo Wall Campaign also wants to encourage local residents who are concerned about logging on DeLeo Wall to attend the Newcastle City Council meeting on January 21, at 7pm, to be held at Newcastle City Hall (located at 12835 Newcastle Way #200, Newcastle, WA 98056). Several new council members have just been sworn in and it’s very important the Council sees that the issue has strong support in the community, especially as the City is facing budget cuts and has proposed eliminating the matching funds for conservation grants. We need a strong turnout so bring your neighbors and plan to speak for 1-2 minutes about the value of Cougar Mountain trails and the DeLeo Wall!
Please contact the Campaign if you have any questions or would like to help: savedeleowall@gmail.com. We need volunteers to hand out flyers at Red Town and on the Wall in the coming month! If you have any connections to influencers or ideas, we’d love to hear from you too. Share this message on social media and via email. We post news and alerts to Facebook and out website.
Please donate if you can and thank you!
Eva Lundahl
Co-founder of the Save DeLeo Wall Campaign and author of “14 Shorter Trail Walks in and around Newcastle”
