Reichert, Smith Introduce Legislation to Designate Mountains to Sound Greenway a National Heritage Area

Today, U.S. Congressmen Dave Reichert (WA-8) and Adam Smith (WA-9) reintroduced legislation to designate the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area.

Rep. Reichert said, "I am very proud to introduce this legislation with my colleague Mr. Smith today to recognize this beautiful gem of Washington State. It is a key part of both our natural and economic heritage and history, playing a vital role in many of our state's most important industries and the area's great natural beauty is an attraction to all. To achieve the Heritage Area designation for the Greenway would preserve this legacy for our children and grandchildren and add another gem to our national treasures."

"The Greenway is a critical part of Washington state's environment and economy and should be recognized as such," said Rep. Smith. "By designating the Greenway as a National Heritage Site, this legislation would preserve our region's scenic natural lands and wildlife habitat, while recognizing its economic benefit through promoting outdoor recreation, tourism, agriculture and more. The diverse coalition of organizations and community members supporting this effort speaks to the value our community places on protecting our environment for generations to come."

"This region is unique in many ways to the rest of the nation, with our spectacular outdoors, world-class recreation, vibrant economy, and deep heritage of placing great value on our healthy relationship with the vast natural landscapes on the doorsteps of our cities," said Greenway Trust Board President Kurt Fraese. "We greatly appreciate the efforts of Senator Cantwell and Congressman Reichert, who are strong champions in caring for this unique heritage and pushing for the creation of the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area."

The Mountains to Sound Greenway is a 1.5 million-acre landscape with alpine peaks, wilderness lakes, and lush forests and serves as the backdrop for the lives of approximately 1.4 million residents living in the surrounding communities.

A National Heritage Area is a large, lived-in area designated by the United States Congress where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a landscape of national distinction. This designation provides a flexible strategy to encourage residents, government agencies, nonprofit groups and private partners to collaboratively plan and implement projects to preserve a landscape, without affecting private property rights.

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