Raising Taxes to Preserve Land: What Does Proposition 1 Mean to the Issaquah Alps?
Part 1 of 2 about Proposition 1 in the upcoming November general election and how the Conservation Futures property taxes it seeks to extend have already shaped the landscape and benefitted the wildlife of the Issaquah Alps.
habitat preserved
The parking lot was empty this grey Sunday in November, promising solitude on the trails for this new hike of discovery on Taylor Mtn. Just off the Issaquah-Hobart Rd., King County’s Taylor Mtn. Forest Trailhead looks a lot bigger than it needs to be, but when you realize that the trails it services also accommodate mountain bike riders and equestrians and their necessary larger trucks and horse trailers, the lot’s emptiness, rather than its size quickly became the bigger surprise. But hey, good for me.
Having lived on and explored the trails of Squak Mtn. for the better part of four decades, Taylor Mtn. and its wild places were more unknown to me than they should be. But as the fall season began to take hold, these public lands held some of the upper reaches of Issaquah Creek that needed to be explored. My chosen destination was Holder Creek, the drainage that holds a portion of SR-18 and separates Tiger Mtn. to the northwest and Taylor Mtn. to the southeast. Recent news that the Issaquah salmon hatchery had lowered its weir and late-season salmon were now coursing upstream certainly held promise.
Not long into the hike and just after stepping over a small stream splashing down from Tiger Mtn., a colorful ribbon tied to a low branch off the trail caught my attention. A closer look revealed a second ribbon even further into the underbrush. Without a clear path leading the way, curiosity and the pull of the unknown were irresistible and so I bent low and stepped off-trail. Small enough to easily step over, it was clear that the ribbons were marking the course of the small stream. With leaves crunching underfoot and the drone of Highway 18 still not penetrating this far into the forest, I didn’t get far before deciding not to go further. Stopping to take in my surroundings, only the damp sheen off a bracket fungus mushroom stood out as unique among drooping branches and hearty moss of the forest.
Fall Chinook in Holder Creek
Then a sound out of cadence with and lower in tenor than those coming from the stream got my attention. The brush was thick, but the direction whence came the thunking sound was clear. Bending low to part branches, a clear view of the water revealed the startling, unexpected source: salmon! Later I learned that this seemingly far-too-big for the tiny stream was a female Chinook salmon. Pinching myself with wonder over this hoped for but unexpected encounter, I was stoked. More than 40 water miles from the Ballard Locks near Puget Sound, and 10 miles upstream and 600 feet higher in elevation from the Issaquah Salmon hatchery, this timeless wonder of nature had me in its grasp and hasn’t released me these nine months later.
Late season female and male Chinook salmon near the end of their run.
The presence of salmon like this were once commonplace in the lower reaches of the streams that flow off the Issaquah Alps, including Issaquah and Tibbets Creeks. But since the arrival of extraction industries and the wholesale disruption of the land and waterways, well, you know the story. Salmon and their freshwater habitat have declined significantly, as have many open and wild places. The Issaquah Alps Trails Club was formed precisely to stem that tide and make land and waterway conservation a priority.
a strong history of funding conservation
The residents of King County have supported public funding for the preservation of land for over 50 years. Starting with the Forward Thrust program in 1968, to the Open Space bond measure in 1989, to the multiple tax levies in the 2000’s, all of these measures raised money for parks, trails, riparian habitat, and open spaces.
In 1982, the King County Council launched the Conservation Futures program. Since then these funds have been a critical tool in preserving many miles of Issaquah Creek and its tributaries, including Holder Creek. A partial list of properties in the Issaquah Creek watershed that have been preserved includes: Confluence Park in Issaquah, The Issaquah Creek Natural Area south of town, plus the Squak/Tiger Corridor, Log Cabin Reach Natural Area, the Middle Issaquah Creek Natural Area, and the Taylor Mountain Forest. Away from Issaquah Creek, the lands of Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, the Cougar/Squak Corridor, and the former Bergsma property in Issaquah are just some of the other notable acquisitions. In total, Conservation Futures has helped preserve more than 100,000 acres of land in King County, much of it in and around the Issaquah Alps. And the need continues. A number of land conservation initiatives currently supported by IATC are strong candidates to receive Conservation Futures funds.
an adjustment is needed
Proposition 1 seeks to extend the Conservation Futures funding by raising a portion of property tax rates. Washington State has some strict laws that govern the increase in property taxes, and these laws keep the Conservation Futures program from growing at a rate that matches the increasing cost of land in King County. If nothing is done or if Proposition 1 is rejected by the voters, then the ability to preserve land will further erode. If it is the will of the people, Proposition 1 will bring the rate to a place where the priority task of preserving critical lands can continue in our growing region.
The supporters of IATC do so so that we can continue our work to preserve and protect the land of the Issaquah Alps. We seek to know the land and the local issues as well as, and even better than the land owners and the jurisdictions that govern them. We identify issues and opportunities, we convene and influence the relevant parties, and we keep our followers in the know so that they speak out and show up when the situation demands it. But at the end of the day the money needs to be there to close the deal. We live in a unique place in our country, and indeed in the world. We have healthy wildlife habitat and healing salmon streams within a thriving and growing metropolitan area. Proposition 1 seeks to rise to the challenges brought on by that fact.
The IATC Board of Directors will be considering an endorsement of Proposition 1 at its September Board meeting. In Part 2 of this series, we will report on the results of that vote and hear from people from in and around the Issaquah Alps regarding their sentiments about the initiative and what it seeks to accomplish.