Thousands sign on for Greenway’s heritage designation

The campaign to have the U.S. Congress designate the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area reached a milestone recently with more than 1,000 people signing the petition. Twenty years of conservation have led to protected wilderness, working farms and forests, extensive outdoor recreation, and prime wildlife habitat, all on the doorstep of the 15th largest metropolitan area in the nation. Now it is time to conserve the Greenway for future generations.

March 12, 2014 10:00 am

The campaign to have the U.S. Congress designate the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area reached a milestone recently with more than 1,000 people signing the petition. Twenty years of conservation have led to protected wilderness, working farms and forests, extensive outdoor recreation, and prime wildlife habitat, all on the doorstep of the 15th largest metropolitan area in the nation. Now it is time to conserve the Greenway for future generations.

Legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Dave Reichert in 2013, and the Greenway Trust is actively working with Senator Maria Cantwell’s staff to have a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate.

This national designation will provide the recognition and resources needed to increase the visibility of the Greenway and conserve the landscape for future generations. National Heritage Areas are sites in which natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to tell an important story of the nation’s heritage. “National Heritage Area designation will build on existing partnerships and forge new ones by providing a forum for addressing the shared challenges of maintaining the Greenway legacy,” said the city of Carnation in a recent support letter.

There is strong bipartisan support for this designation, from the Kittitas County Commissioners and King County Council, to Governor Jay Inslee and Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.

The Rural Majority, a coalition focused on protecting rural lands and lifestyles in King County, signed on, saying, “a designation of National Heritage Area would provide national recognition and support of (the Greenway’s) efforts and offer land management agencies and local citizens an improved framework for coordinating future land management and public use across the Greenway landscape.”

“We are thrilled to see such a broad representation of people who live, work, and play in the Greenway supporting this important legislation,” Executive Director Cynthia Welti said. “It truly will require a balanced and thoughtful approach to conserve this special place and way of life into the future, and a National Heritage Area designation is a tool to achieve this vision.”

Visit GreenwayHeritage.org today to learn more and join the campaign – for the future of the Greenway.