In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the land trust movement was coming into full swing and Dr. Eliot Scull had just moved to North Central Washington with his family.
“I was just blown away by the beauty of the Northwest from the mountains to ocean and rivers,” said Scull, a longtime supporter of the Coalition.
Soon after the move, the Sculls realized there was a great threat to the outdoors near their new home. Eliot, an avid hiker and kayaker, quickly got involved in defending Wenatchee’s most treasured places like Alpine Lakes. He became a founding member of the Chelan Douglas Land Trust, an organization that remains one of the Coalition’s key partners in the region.
The Coalition and CDLT, along with our more than 280 other members, have worked together to secure funding for special places around Wenatchee and across the state, including many places Eliot frequently visits.
“Methow Valley is one of my favorite places on earth. I could go on for a long time about that. The land in the foothills in Wenatchee and Saddle Rock are favorites as well,” he said. “I’m a big user of outdoor lands.”
The Sculls have a cabin near Winthrop and they are glad to see that the character of the region has been preserved through strong support and public funding for Washington’s outdoors. But they are also aware that there is still much work to be done in ensuring all Washingtonians have access to the outdoors in their communities.
Eliot continues to be involved in the Coalition because he believes it is “one of the single most important” organizations in Washington working for our outdoors.
“It’s a critical time now for people to rally behind the Coalition,” Eliot said.