THURSDAY
APRIL 9, 2015 Opinion ��������������Page 4
COMMUNITY
SHRED EVENT Saturday, April 11 • For details see page 11
Community News ���Page 5 Sports ���������������Page 7 Classifieds ���������� Page 17 Volume 83 No. 32
SERVING THE WEST END SINCE 1931
• WWW.FORKSFORUM.COM •
Nature Conservancy buys 3,184 acres on Hoh River
LAPUSH
BEAVER
Ready for Rainfest?? This year’s two-week RainFest will truly be an occasion for the community and visitors to celebrate. There will be fun-filled activities for all ages and many chances to explore West End local art. A number of RainFest events will be taking place in and around the new Rainforest Arts Center (RAC). The first week will celebrate the grand opening of the new Rainforest Arts Center. Artists and quilters sponsored by the PieceMaker Quilt Club, West End Art League and Rainforest Center for the Arts will highlight their quilting skills and masterworks. The second week will focus on the arts and marine and river resources and is sponsored by West End Council for the Arts, Coast Savers, Department of Natural Resources, Forks High School, Peninsula College, the North Pacific Coast Marine Resources Committee and Lead Entity. The first week of RainFest begins with a plethora of activities for adults and children alike. Beginning on Friday, April 17, there will be classes and a quilt show provided by the PieceMaker Quilt Club and an art display provided SEE RAINFEST, page 3
CLALLAM BAY
SEKIU
NEAH BAY
PRSRT STD US Postage Paid Permit No. 6 Forks, WA
FORKS
Carpenters at the RAC puzzle over the wood block wall, as the manageable sections created by The Pacific Salmon Coalition and their interns, get ready to take their place on the wall in the Great Room of the new building.
ECRWSS - BOXHOLDER
The Nature Conservancy has purchased 3,184 acres along the Hoh River near the Washington coast from Rayonier, the two organizations announced last week. The purchase is part of a Nature Conservancy initiative to increase salmon populations, promote sustainable economies and restore temperate rainforest on the Washington coast. This $7,004,800 acquisition builds on work by the Hoh River Trust, which owns 6,800 acres along the Hoh River, to create a 32-mile conservation corridor extending from Olympic National Park to the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Home to old-growth and temperate rain forest, the Hoh River corridor provides critical habitat for marbled murrelets, northern spotted owls, bald eagles and bull trout. It also supports some of the healthiest native salmon and steelhead runs in the lower 48 states. This acquisition is made possible with support from the Wyss Foundation, the Norcliffe Foundation and other private donors and supporters. The Hoh is one of four major river systems flowing from summit to sea in the Olympic rain forest. The Conservancy also has purchased forest lands on the Queets and Clearwater rivers, and is working with the Quinault Indian Nation for restoration of forests on the Quinault River. Together with the earlier acquisitions on the Queets and Clearwater rivers, the Conservancy is now managing 11,130 acres of forest lands in Jefferson County. Conservancy foresters and ecologists have developed long-term plans that include planting trees, restoring important salmon and wildlife habitat, and sustainable longrotation timber harvest where it makes sense. All these activities generate jobs in coastal communities. The Conservancy plans to maintain a forest designation and pay property taxes on this land. Farther south on the Washington Coast, the Conservancy owns and manages nearly 8,000 acres at the Ellsworth Creek Preserve adjoining Willapa National Wildlife Refuge on Willapa Bay. The Conservancy also owns 47,921 acres of forest land in the Central Cascades east of Snoqualmie Pass. All the Conservancy’s land on the Washington Coast continues to be open to public and tribal use for hunting, fishing, traditional gathering of plants and medicines, boating, birding, hiking and other coastal outdoor activities. The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working in Washington and around the world to protect the lands and waters on which all life depends. Visit the Nature Conservancy’s Washington Program on the web at washingtonnature.org. Rayonier is a leading international land resources company primarily engaged in timberland management and the sale of real estate. Rayonier owns, leases or manages approximately 2.7 million acres of timberlands in the U.S. and New Zealand. Rayonier is structured as a real estate investment trust. To date, Rayonier has joined with conservation experts to ensure more than 200,000 acres of forestland will remain in conservation for future generations.