What We’ve Learned
Stehekin is an unincorporated community at the northern tip of Lake Chelan, surrounded by land owned and managed by the National Parks Service (NPS) as part of the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (NRCA). The recreation area is a component of the North Cascades National Park, formed to recognize the multiple interests associated with Lake Chelan, Stehekin, Holden Village, and others, all converging on Lake Chelan’s northern reach and the recreational resources adjacent to it.
Public Law 90-544
The park and recreation area were established by Public Law 90-544 in 1968, recognizing the area’s unique environmental and recreational resources but stating little in terms of the Stehekin community’s role in the park, the park’s role in the Stehekin community, or the way the two interrelate. A subsequent review of the NPS’ land acquisition and management practices – conducted by the General Accounting Office in 1981 – provided insight into the interdependence of the NPS and the community but offered little in terms of policy guidance.
Residents and Property Owners
Stehekin is largely a seasonal community, but there are full-time residents who operate year-round businesses, manage the local school, and keep the community operating during non-tourist months. Many of these permanent residents – whether they have lived there continuously since childhood or have returned as adults – have generations of Stehekin roots, predating Public Law 90-544 and the park’s creation.
Next Steps
Public Law 90-544 provides few statutory ground rules to help navigate these complexities, and the GAO report falls short of providing policy guidance to direct collaborative initiatives, resolve disputes, or streamline action. There are pressing issues needing resolution, some as pragmatic as guiding the PUD on how to reinvest in its power generation infrastructure, which are motivating this community plan. The County hopes this process will offer the community and stakeholders an opportunity to work together to establish a lasting policy direction, one which will clarify relationships and suggest ways in which the various groups interact to achieve mutual objectives.
Role of the NPS
The NPS manages federal landholdings surrounding and interspersed with private landholdings along the lake shore and in the Stehekin community. NPS also provides additional services supporting Stehekin, including snowplowing, trash collection, fire suppression, supplemental law enforcement, and others, underscoring the importance of NPS’ role in Stehekin life. Both NPS and community members have a history of working together to solve problems – like flood prevention and remediation – and identify opportunities – as with land swaps and various recreation concession agreements.
Relationships
The intimacy and interdependence between the small Stehekin community and the federal National Parks Service is both harmonious and challenging. And there are other property owners, agencies, non-profit organizations, and businesspeople who have a stake in the recreation area, sometimes working at cross purposes pursuing their individual interests. Despite the community’s small size, the relationships are complex.
