BLANCHARD — Blanchard Mountain may receive tighter environmental protection through a special conservation designation covering 1,600 acres set aside for preservation.

Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark announced Wednesday he intends to establish a “Natural Resources Conservation Area” on Blanchard Mountain. The Department of Natural Resources designation would put stricter conservation guidelines on an expanse of already protected forest land.

The protection solidifies forest protection plans created by the Blanchard Forest Strategies Group in 2007. The group designated the 1,600 acres to be preserved and protected while allowing controlled wood harvesting in the remaining 4,827 acres of land surrounding Blanchard Mountain.

DNR manages the land, but there has been no timber harvesting since early 2008 when a group of local conservationists, the Chuckanut Conservancy, sued to have the protected area enlarged. King County ordered DNR to create an environmental impact statement for the plan. That decision was appealed and is awaiting judgment in the State Court of Appeals Division 1.

Goldmark said Wednesday he would make a plan for the conservation area in March. DNR will hold public meetings on the area in the spring and present a plan to Goldmark for approval.

“The commissioner recognizes this area for its amazing recreation opportunities,” said DNR spokesman Aaron Toso. “Blanchard Mountain is a special place.”

DNR manages the Blanchard Mountain timber harvests as a revenue source for local taxing jurisdictions’ capital needs. When the 1,600 acres is taken out of production, DNR will have to spend $12 million to replace the lost revenue.

Much of the money goes to local school districts, which use the funds to finance new construction.

The land must be replaced because taxing jurisdictions rely on timber taxes and fees to operate. School districts in particular benefit from logging revenue.

Ken Wilcox, secretary for the Chuckanut Conservancy, said he’s glad DNR is creating a conservation area on Blanchard Mountain, he just wants it to be bigger. He said Goldmark has praised Blanchard Mountain’s wildlife, scenery and recreational opportunities.

“If the purpose is to protect those values, it’s going to take more than 1,600 acres to do that,” Wilcox said.

Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen said Skagit County needs to be reimbursed for the lost revenue. He worried that small taxing jurisdictions could still be hurt if the replacement land is placed outside the county or away from the taxing districts near Blanchard Mountain.

Wesen also noted that timber harvesting helped create the recreation opportunities on the mountain. Hang-gliders run off a clear-cut patch of land on the south end of the mountain, and hikers enjoy a view of Samish Bay to the west from another clear-cut area.

“It was able to happen because of the timber harvested over the years,” Wesen said.

Commissioner Sharon Dillon said she was not concerned because DNR has promised to replace harvesting land as close to Blanchard Mountain as possible.

“We have been assured that they will leave the trust whole,” Dillon said. “I think this is going to be a win-win for everybody.”

Aaron Burkhalter can be reached at 360-416-2141 or .

Read more local news in the Skagit Valley Herald and the Anacortes American, or read it online in the E-edition