Clallam County staff seek easement and timber rights from Ecotrust for 1.6‑mile Olympic Discovery Trail segment
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Summary
Public works staff told commissioners they are ready to buy and take easements on a 1.6‑mile, ~35.33‑acre section in the La Push corridor to complete the Olympic Discovery Trail; the purchase is largely RCO‑grant funded but requires coordination with DNR and WSDOT on corridor width and habitat constraints.
County public works and trails staff (speakers 7 and 14) presented a proposal to acquire easements and timber rights from Ecotrust Forest LLC for a 1.6‑mile section of the Olympic Discovery Trail between SR 110 and the Olympic National Park boundary near La Push. Staff said the segment covers about 35.33 acres and corridor widths will vary from about 100 feet to as much as 527 feet in places to meet design and ADA‑grade standards. “That section is between 100 feet and 527 feet wide… so to get up that hill,” staff explained when describing grade and topography constraints.
Staff told the board the 1.6‑mile parcel has been appraised and is ready to purchase; subsequent adjacent parcels are in active negotiation and awaiting appraisal. The acquisition would be funded primarily through a Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) grant (staff said roughly 75% of the project) and local lodging tax dollars for the remainder; presenters estimated that RCO capacity in the program remained substantial (staff estimated grant availability in the high hundreds of thousands) and lodging tax reserves in the mid‑hundreds of thousands, while noting final numbers depend on the upcoming appraisal.
Commissioners pressed staff about environmental and jurisdictional constraints. Staff said portions of the corridor include Department of Natural Resources parcels and habitat mitigation areas where DNR has expressed concern about a continuous 150‑foot corridor; Washington State Department of Transportation may require the trail be sited closer to the highway at certain crossings. Staff said they will refine easement language, coordinate with DNR and WSDOT and feed negotiated right‑of‑way details to appraisers before closing further purchases.
Board members also discussed a frequently flooded bridge on the corridor and longer‑term options for a multimodal crossing; staff tied floodplain design grant work to potential bridge elevation and multimodal planning. Commissioners signaled support for moving forward where appraisals and easement terms align with grant requirements and for keeping the board apprised as negotiations and appraisals conclude.
The board did not take a final vote at the work session; staff will return with finalized easement language, appraisal results and a purchase agreement for formal action.