The Washington State Board of Natural Resources approved three land transactions, including two donations from county governments, during its meeting Tuesday morning in Olympia.

 

Snohomish County is donating its share of the North Mountain Road to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which will facilitate easier recreation access to the site north of Darrington. DNR already owns the other half of the road, and this donation clarifies ownership, provides access to state-managed forestlands, and increases access to the Darrington Bike Trail.

 

Clallam County is donating a former railroad right of way just south of Clallam Bay to DNR to be managed to support critical local services there. The county obtained the 6.8-acre parcel after taxes went unpaid during the Great Depression, and one of DNR’s predecessor agencies acquired the surrounding land from the Crown Zellerbach Corp. in 1956, the year before DNR was formed. This donation eliminates an inholding into state trust lands, making them more efficient to manage.

 

The third transaction approved the auctioning of a home site west of Goldendale in Klickitat County. The 5.8-acre parcel had been designated to support the Common School Trust, which funds K-12 school construction statewide, from statehood until January 2021. It was moved to be sold because it is inefficient for the state to own and because the home, which predates statehood, and other improvements belong to the tenant.

 

The minimum bid for the parcel is $48,000. However, any purchaser of the auction must pay the current tenant a non-negotiable $197,000 fee for the home and other improvements on the site.

 

Revenue from the auction, tentatively scheduled for October, will be used to purchase replacement property in the state that is better suited for management to produce revenue for schools, colleges, and critical local services.

 

Maps, photos, and more information on the transactions are available on the Board of Natural Resources webpage.

 

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Communications Manager

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