I spent Tuesday morning bushwhacking with Squak Mountain resident Cathy Brandt. With husband, Doug, they built a lovely home on the mountain, which backs to state park land. They are at the end of the road.

I now truly realize what a shame cutting timber on the mountain, one of the “Issaquah Alps,” would be.

Cathy is the wildlife advocate for Squak Mountain, with the Issaquah Alps Trail Club. I’ve reported on the inevitable flooding that would occur to the folks at the bottom of the mountain, but Brandt, who has a degree in environmental and wildlife science, is concerned about how the project will impact wildlife.

Squak Mountain provides a corridor for deer, black bear, bobcats, coyotes and cougar to move between Tiger and Cougar mountains.

“This is a habitat up here, with the full cycle of predator and prey,” she told me.

The logger, Kurt Erickson, is not a wicked person trying to pull a fast one on anybody. He acquired the approximately 200 acres on Squak Mountain by purchasing the land after it had gone into foreclosure. Timber is his business. And this is a business deal for him.

He told me early on, that he would rather sell the property to King County than log it. But if the county can’t come up with the money pretty soon, he’s got investors to answer to.

He told me he’s willing to see what happens, to see if anybody comes up with the money.

Metropolitan King County Council member Reagan Dunn told me he is confident the county will find the money to purchase the land. But the wheels are moving very slowly.

An application for $2 million has been submitted to the conservation futures citizens oversight committee. It is asking for $1.5 million from the parks levy fund and $500,000 from conservation futures. But the ultimate decision won’t come until November. By that time, Erickson will have his forest practices permit, and nothing can stop him, really.

Erickson’s first application was about to be rejected because of the proximity to a fish-bearing creek. He pulled it, and his forester will be establishing buffers around the creek. But as soon as he changes the buffers and re-submits, everything could be hunky-dory for him to go on ahead in 30 days. Which will happen if the county keeps dragging this through the bureaucratic muck.

Folks, I know you’re concerned. The flooding in May Valley is bad. The headwaters of May Creek are in that mountain, and losing that forest is only going to make flooding worse.

But more noise needs to be made by the community. Or, somebody needs to come up with a philanthropist who can buy the land and preserve it for all to enjoy. Dunn also mentioned using a supplemental appropriation, sort of like a bridge loan to lock up the property sooner. But there doesn’t seem to be a quick solution.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right? So squeak loud Issaquah, and try to come up with some money to preserve this treasure.