Allen's Millions Clinch Deal -- Lummis, Conservancy To Preserve Old-Growth Forest

The Nature Conservancy and the Lummi Indian Nation, backed by Paul Allen's millions, are buying and preserving the largest known stand of privately owned old-growth forest remaining in the Puget Sound region.

The two groups paid $7.1 million to acquire the 2,240-acre Arlecho Creek Forest in southern Whatcom County. The forest, a quarter of which contains stands of old-growth fir and hemlock trees up to 500 years old, will be managed as a nature reserve and educational center.

"The Lummis want to use the land as an education center where Native-American colleges can study forest ecosystems," said Laura Smith, conservation director for the Nature Conservancy of Washington. "That's a good fit for us. What we want is to preserve biological diversity."

But the deal was notched by the role of Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, and Crown Pacific, the Portland-based timber company that owned the land.

Allen contributed $3.75 million toward the Nature Conservancy's share of the purchase. The Lummis will pay $2.85 million, financed with an interest-free loan from Crown Pacific.

For the Lummis, the purchase represents the successful end of an eight-year battle to keep the chain saws out of the Arlecho basin.

The tribe, which says the forest was traditionally used for spiritual ceremonies and contains important cultural sites, organized a blockade of logging operations there in 1993. National groups, including the National Council of Churches, pressured the owner at that time - Mutual of New York - to sell the site.

In 1995, the new owner, Crown Pacific, negotiated with the tribe a plan to preserve the forest, which included selling the site at below-market cost.

For Allen, the purchase cements his new role as a major player in the conservation world.

The Paul G. Allen Forest Protection Foundation, founded last January, has given a total of $5 million to the Forest Protection Association and an additional $325,000 to other conservation groups.

Smith says the Arlecho purchase is the most expensive private conservation deal ever struck by the Nature Conservancy - and most likely, any group - in this state.

She said the creek basin contains important habitat for the marbled murrelet, an endangered species, and a local Rocky Mountain elk herd.

Once the Lummis pay off their loan, the Nature Conservatory will cede ownership to the tribe.

Jim Simon's phone message number is 206-464-2480. His e-mail address is: jsim-new@seatimes.com