An agreement has been reached between logger Kurt Erickson and the Trust for Public Lands, for TPL to preserve 216 acres of forestland that Erickson owns, on Squak Mountain, following several months of negotiations between the parties.

King County Executive Dow Constantine and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced the agreement, signed July 18, to purchase the forestland for $5 million.

“This is forest that people have cherished for generations and which, thanks to the partnership of The Trust for Public Land, will no longer be threatened, forever to be enjoyed and appreciated,” Constantine said.

Erickson said he would have preferred to keep the property, but he said it was great to get this over with.

“I want people to know that I worked to cooperate,” Erickson said. “It was a big driving force to cooperate for everyone to be happy.”

He said he understood both sides of the issue. The residents of Squak Mountain wanted the property to remain as it is to avoid issues of flooding and erosion — but he said he views his work as a craft.

“TPL worked hard to get it right,” Erickson said.

He said he is concerned about the residents who live in the old camping club, many of whom have lived there for several years. He said the county will probably evict them because they won’t want the liability, but he said some of them have nowhere to go.

The land trust can close the transaction as early as 2014, and will hold the property until King County has the funds to acquire the land as part of the county’s system of parks and open space. Funding sources for King County include conservation futures funds collected through property taxes for permanent protection of open space land.

Other funding could come from the proposed King County Parks levy which is on next month’s ballot to replace the current levy that expires at the end of this year.

Wildlife advocate Cathy Brandt, who lives on Squak Mountain, was ecstatic.

“We worked so hard on this, but there were a few of us who just wouldn’t give up,” Brandt said. “My plan was if the county couldn’t buy it I would have done everything I could to find funding somewhere else. The big message for everybody is that we need to get the park bond passed.”

David Kappler president of the Issquah Alps Trail Club, said there will  be a need to figure out a trail plan that will preserve the special features of the property including the headwaters of May Creek.

“We’re obviously thrilled that this agreement has been reached and look forward to when it eventually becomes a county property,” he said.