Sep/Oct 2025
In this edition:
Community Connections
Baby Bears in the Forest!
Commissioner Upthegrove’s Structurally Complex Forests Plan
🌱 Community Connections
Tues Sept 23 Discussion on Maltby UGA Expansion
On Tues Sept 23, the Snohomish County Planning Commission will meet to discuss Amended Motion 25-336 and likely recommend this to the Snohomish County Council to vote on in the coming weeks. This amendment proposes to expand the designated Maltby Urban Growth Area (UGA) by 270 acres – changing the zoning from Rural Business to Urban Commercial. The blue portion closest to Hooven Forest (Area 2) is land designated for Public/Institutional use, but could be sold relatively easily. It appears the UGA expansion proposal is initially in support of the industrial operation at Heidelberg Materials, the concrete recycling business on the hillside above Costco. While there is no direct threat to Hooven Forest at the moment, this expansion sets a precedent for significantly expanding the UGA boundary, which County Executive Dave Somers already vetoed in Dec 2024. Send your comments to contact.council_at_snoco.org or plan to speak at the Planning Commission Meeting through Zoom or in person Tues Sept 23 - see agenda (this item is #3).
Hooven Forest Book Club
Are you interested in reading and discussing books about forests, both fiction and non-fiction?
Possible titles include:
The Overstory - Richard Powers
The Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben
Last Child in the Woods - Richard Louv
… and so many more
If you are interested in joining our book club or have book recommendations for our group’s reading and discussion, email Jeff at jeff.ellingson_at_gmail.com. He will send out the first title to those expressing interest in the next week or two – and meet to discuss the first book (and choose the next one) in late October.
Mindfulness in Nature: Every Sunday at 4pm
Join Ana Huston for weekly mindfulness sessions Sundays 4 - 5:30pm, where you will practice present moment awareness. Contact Ana at ae1031_at_hotmail.com if you would like to join or if you have any questions.
🐻 Baby Bears in the Forest!
One of our members caught this adorable duo of baby black bears on the edge of Hooven Forest. Just another reminder that we share Hooven Forest with a host of native wildlife which use the forest land, plants, and trees for food, shelter, protection from predators and entertainment.
Black bears generally avoid humans and attacks are incredibly rare in WA, but we remind our Hooven Forest Friends NEVER to bother the animals of the forest, especially black bear cubs, since a mother bear is often close by and could respond aggressively to a perceived human threat. We suggest carrying EPA-registered bear spray just in case, especially if you are walking alone in the forest, and keeping dogs leashed at all times. Here is more from the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife on black bears. Cougars, a protected game species, have also occasionally been sighted in or near Hooven Forest, although they generally avoid people as well.
Do you have photos or videos of Hooven Forest wildlife? Send them to info@hoovenforest.org if you are willing to share your wildlife pictures and videos with our community.
🌲 Commissioner Upthegrove’s Structurally Complex Forests Plan
Many of our followers have asked us what the August 26, 2025 announcement of an Order by WA Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove regarding conservation of 77,000 acres of "Structurally Complex Forests" (SCF) means for Hooven Forest.
After studying both the Order and the accompanying new SCF DNR Map, we are still working to figure out the answer. Steering Committee members are consulting with local conservation groups and the DNR to understand the implications. Hooven Forest appears on the SCF map as a combination of lavender "Areas Managed for Ecological Value (AMEV)" and tan "Westside Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)." It is not clear, however, to the Steering Committee whether that means Hooven Forest has been permanently removed from danger of being harvested or sold by DNR.
The Hooven Forest Steering Committee has sent a letter to Commissioner Upthegrove's staff to ask for clarification. We are hesitant about declaring the impact to Hooven Forest, as the map has been called out by some conservation groups as inaccurate, and is likely to evolve. We believe the DNR, under Dave Upthegrove, is working with the best interest of legacy forests in mind, and working to advance conservation in the state generally. We will continue to monitor, and participate in the ongoing activity by the DNR and other conservation groups on this.
Your Hooven Forest Steering Committee
