DARRINGTON, Wash. (AP) — A land swap has added Miner’s Ridge to the Glacier Peak Wilderness and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The 372-acre wilderness area was once the subject of a protest in the 1960s by U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. The outdoor enthusiast led a hike up a Miner’s Ridge trail to protest a proposed copper mine. Plans for the mine were abandoned after copper prices dropped.
In 1986, a public utility district bought Miner’s Ridge from the copper company for a nominal fee. The utility used the area to measure snowpack but found the information was not as useful as measurements at Lyman Lake. The utility approached the Forest Service about an exchange of Miner’s Ridge for 1.8 acres at Lyman Lake. The swap was approved last month.
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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com
