2023 Legislative Priorities

January 17, 2023
Post by Amy Brockhaus, Deputy Director
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
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From Ellensburg to Seattle, the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area (Greenway NHA) encompasses spectacular natural lands, productive working farms and forests, opportunities for outdoor recreation, and vibrant communities with strong economies. Through supporting local, state, and federal investments, we can preserve this natural legacy for future generations.   The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust collaborates...

January 13, 2023
Post by Shenise Ramirez, Communications Coordinator
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
This list is a roundup of resources to help self-identified Black, Indigenous, and People of Color break into outdoors and conservation careers at varying skill levels. These recommendations range from science-based conservation scholarships to avalanche training for future leaders looking to build a career in the outdoors space. University of Washington Wetland Management Scholarship...

January 6, 2023
Press release from the Alliance of National Heritage Areas
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
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President Biden signed the National Heritage Area Act yesterday WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, President Biden signed the National Heritage Area Act (S. 1942). On December 22, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the legislation by a bi-partisan vote of 326-95, after the Senate passed the legislation without opposition two days earlier. It was one of the last bills passed...

January 4, 2023
Post by: Camille Ottoman and Jean Englehart Masseth
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
The magnetic pull of the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest brings more visitors to trails each year, while increased connections to nature can foster community well-being, it can also place pressures on land managers and the land itself. Off-trail hiking, littering, and graffiti along the I-90 corridor add stress to wildlife and those who...

December 14, 2022
Post by Swan Phongwarinr, Volunteer Coordinator
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
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The 2022 Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area (Greenway NHA) volunteer program year felt like a step out of the woods. Volunteers came back with great energy, endless support, and the Greenway community showed that it is not only here ready to restore the landscape, but also to show up for each other....

November 22, 2022
Post by Amy Brockhaus, Deputy Director
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
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It’s hard to believe, but 2022 is already coming to a close. And with the year’s end, we like to pause and reflect on some of the accomplishments that have taken place across the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area over the past 12 months. From new parks and trails, to important restoration...

November 21, 2022
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
With greater staff capacity in the Upper Yakima Basin, the Greenway Trust has leaned into organizing and supporting interpretive events in the Teanaway Community Forest. Much like ranger talks, these free events bring folks out onto the landscape to learn from local experts. Greenway Trust staff work with members of the Teanaway Community Forest...

November 9, 2022
Post by: Trail Crew Lead Kasey Shultz
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
Over the summer, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail Crew completed an eight-day camping trip along the Snow Lake and Rock Creek Trails in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Over the course of the spike, we hiked 32 miles and climbed over 8,000 feet in elevation. We removed 17 logs that once obstructed the trail,...

November 9, 2022
Post by Nicky Pasi, Kittitas Programs Manager
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
If you’ve followed us here at the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust for very long, you’ve probably heard about the Teanaway Community Forest (TCF). At 50,241 acres, it’s Washington’s first state-owned community forest, co-managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA-DNR), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and a 20-person advisory committee...

October 26, 2022
Post by: Katie Egresi, Communications Manager
Greenway Trust Priority Area:
It’s that time of year again: tree planting season! For many years, we’ve hosted a large Tree Planting Celebration in partnership with Carter Subaru to kick off the season and recognize this important work happening across the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area.   After weeks of oppressive wildfire smoke, the much-anticipated rain...

October 12, 2022
Post by: Shenise Ramirez, Communications Coordinator
What is the price of a pine forest, a salmon-bearing stream, or a tree-lined park in a city? Many of these places have a dollar amount attached to them, but when you compare this to the price of rising temperatures, these areas are priceless in the value they bring to future generations. Our heritage...