Our 2012 Environmental Awards
Here are the people and organizations working hard to perserve the most special places of the West
Best shoreline
What didn’t happen here: A waterfront resort and luxury housing.
Why it’s a winner: The 94 acres of Washington’s Devil’s Head will be an amazing public park.When one landowner gazed at Devil’s Head—a mile-long beach, killer views of Puget Sound, Mt.
Rainier, and the Olympics—he had a dream. Specifically, a dream of McMansions and a coastal retreat on this 94-acre tip of
the Key Peninsula west of Tacoma. That didn’t happen, thanks to the work of Forterra, formerly the Cascade Land Conservancy.
Over several years, the conservancy amassed $3.4 million to buy the land for Pierce County. As is standard with recession-battered
real-estate deals these days, nothing about buying Devil’s Head was easy: Conservationists had to deal with the landowner’s
bankruptcy. But they prevailed. Now hikers will have new forests and beaches to tromp, and kayakers a new stop on the Cascadia
Marine Trail.
Take a look: For now, the best way to see Devil’s Head is from a kayak (eventually trails will be developed). forterra.org
