St helens High lakes

[skidynastar33]

http://tdn.com/business/local/article_2230a6a6-8b84-5525-88bc-6b152fad5938.html
not sure if this was posted

[fireweed]

This article is old, but currently the Forest Service is putting in a Land and Water conservation grant to acquire the bulk of this land directly.  (I worked on the committee that put together the application two years ago.) The trust for public land is helping now, and the landowners are on board, too.  Think the application is due in June, but if a group wants to send letter of support there might still be time.   

This application would also secure historic access to the Mt. Margaret area, as well as gaining some great outdoor recreation land with lakes, views, wildlife, wetlands, and bordering the monument. 

[HntnFsh]

Fireweed,
 Thanks for your work on this. I thought it just went by the wayside. But it sounds like things are looking very promising for those of us that love this area. Could you please keep us updated on this?

[fireweed]

UPDATE: Aug 2014

"The Gifford Pinchot National Forest took a significant step toward acquiring the High Lakes when it submitted in August 2014 a detailed proposal for Land and Water Conservation Funds.

In support and encouragement to the Forest Service, the GP Task Force generated numerous letters of support from organizations and individuals, including the Mazamas, Clark Skamania Flyfishers, Friends of Mount Adams, Conservation Northwest, Washington Wild and very important – Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler. The Trust for Public Land, a major partner in this project, also generated letters from Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.

 The Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Trust for Public Land also contributed many, many hours to the preparation of the proposal.

The proposal was submitted to the Regional Office of the Forest Service, which will rank their top five proposals and then send them to the National Forest Service office to determine which projects will be included in the President’s budget to Congress.

Although the High Lakes proposal is unlikely to be funded in this federal budget cycle, preparation of the proposal is an important step in a multi-year campaign to acquire the High Lakes. The community organizing and public campaign conducted by the GP Task Force was critical to convincing the Forest Service to submit the proposal."