Editing Index, Washington (section)

===Transition to recreation economy===

The town recovered from the 1980 flood and had organized emergency medical services and a new [[historical society]] within a few years. A total of 19 [[business license]]s were issued by the town government, mostly to [[cottage industry|cottage industries]] and home businesses, in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harrison |first=Brenda |date=October 2, 1985 |title=They came, they saw, they stayed |page=AE2 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-they-came-they-saw-th/164888571/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 6, 2025}}</ref> The reopening of the Bush Hotel was credited with the increase in local businesses, but the nearest [[gas station]] and [[medical clinic]]s remained further west on [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lebow |first=Dennis |date=May 28, 1984 |title=Few agree on valley's tour trade |page=1A |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-few-agree-on-valleys-t/171663453/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 3, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Times-1987">{{cite news |last=Shaw |first=Linda |date=October 28, 1987 |title=Main Streets: Index plays against rugged backdrop |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> After [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] proposed the use of herbicide [[2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid|2,4-D]] along their tracks through the town, local residents protested by blocking access until the railroad agreed to not spray near Index.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Gil |date=August 24, 1980 |title='To Tracks, to Tracks, the Sprayers Are Coming!' |page=A3 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> A total of 11 residents were randomly selected by the [[Washington State Department of Social and Health Services]] for [[urine test]]ing, which found the herbicide was not present in their bodies.<ref>{{cite news |last=Von Sternberg |first=Bob |date=September 4, 1980 |title=Herbicide tests turn up negative |page=1A |work=The Everett Herald |department=Western Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-herbicide-tests-turn-up/171663120/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 3, 2025}}</ref> The town council adopted a resolution to support the [[Nuclear Freeze campaign]], which proposed a halt to development of new nuclear weapons, in 1983 amid rumors that some nuclear warheads would be transported on the railroad through Index.<ref>{{cite news |last=Maxwell |first=Blanche |date=March 22, 1983 |title=Index shouts 'yes' for nuclear freeze |page=1A |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-index-shouts-yes-for/165037294/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 8, 2025}}</ref>

The Index Town Wall was the site of a drilling experiment in 1984 for a local company that planned to supply a new machine to an Australian [[diamond mine]]. The experiment created a {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=mid}} tunnel that ran {{convert|200|ft|m}} deep into the granite face of the Town Wall; the tunnel was later repurposed by the [[University of Washington]] for physics experiments.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Folkerts |first=Dale |date=April 15, 1984 |title=Mining juggernaut not boring to folks around Index cliff |page=3A |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-mining-juggernaut-not-b/164888656/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 6, 2025}}</ref> The use of the Town Wall for the experiment and the expedited enviornmental review process for the project was criticized by [[The Mountaineers (club)|The Mountaineers]] and other outdoor recreation groups.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hessburg |first=John |date=February 20, 1984 |title=Climbers fear loss of rock playground |page=C2 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The Skykomish River around Index began to attract [[rafting]] excursions and operators in the 1980s, which led to conflicts with local residents due to increased traffic and litter as well as the use of town facilities without payment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Browder |first=Seanna |date=January 25, 1986 |title=Rapids up ahead for Skykomish rafters |page=1A |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-rapids-up-ahead-for-sky/171663262/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 3, 2025}}</ref> In 1986, the town government approved a plan to build a paid [[boat ramp]] and parking facilities for rafting companies as part of a compromise to address the traffic and litter issues.<ref>{{cite news |last=Browder |first=Seanna |date=March 4, 1986 |title=Index to build rafter facilities and charge fees |page=1B |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-index-to-build-rafter-f/171663291/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 3, 2025}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1990, the town's population declined by 5.4{{nbsp}}percent despite a boom in the number of new vacation homes built in Index and the surrounding area. Most permanent residents continued to commute out of Index to job centers in western Snohomish and King counties.<ref name="Times-1991">{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=June 5, 1991 |title=Living the quiet life |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The town's lone road crossing over the Skykomish River, a one-lane [[timber bridge]], was replaced in September 1999 by a modern concrete bridge. The $4{{nbsp}}million project (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|4000000|1999}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} was primarily funded by the county and federal governments and had been initially opposed by local residents.<ref name="Herald-Bridge1999">{{cite news |last=Moriarty |first=Leslie |date=September 30, 1999 |title=Taking a ride: Bridge's namesake goes for first drive across new span, last spin across old |page=B1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-taking-a-ride-bridges/164813421/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref> Index's population had declined to approximately 150 by 1997, but the town government began planning infrastructure projects that would accommodate future population growth, including the replacement of [[septic tank]]s with a modern sewage system and a [[wastewater treatment plant]]. A new hiking trail to [[Lake Serene]] was constructed by the United States Forest Service with a large parking lot and other amenities in anticipation of high demand.<ref name="PI-Change"/>

The state government began purchasing land around the Index Town Wall in the early 1990s and formally proposed the creation of a new {{convert|1,300|acre|ha|adj=mid}} [[state park]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Haley |first=Jim |date=June 6, 1999 |title=Index area soon may be gateway to new state park |page=1B |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-index-area-soon-may-be/171664299/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}</ref> It was named [[Forks of the Sky State Park]] and the Town Wall was donated to expand the park in 2010.<ref name="PI-Wall"/><ref name="Herald-Crag">{{cite news |last=Dominguez |first=Alejandro |date=September 20, 2010 |title=Crag now part of park |page=B1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-crag-now-part-of-park/171664317/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}</ref> A nearby portion of the [[Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest]] was designated as the [[Wild Sky Wilderness]] by the federal government in 2008 to protect over {{convert|106,000|acre|ha}} of alpine habitat for wildlife.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sheets |first=Bill |date=May 31, 2008 |title=Victory lap at Wild Sky |page=A1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-victory-lap-at-wild-sky/171664614/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}</ref> The Skykomish River flooded portions of Index on November 6, 2006, and caused $7{{nbsp}}million in recorded damage locally, including washouts on portions of Index–Galena Road that were not fully repaired until 2023.<ref name="Herald-GalenaRd"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Velush |first=Lukas |date=November 24, 2006 |title=Route will need years of repair |page=A1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-route-will-need-years-o/171664815/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}</ref> Additional recreation areas around the town were developed in the 2000s through a nonprofit conservation group that was organized in response to a 2006 proposal to begin [[clearcutting]] for timber harvesting on Heybrook Ridge. The group raised $600,000 to acquire the land and partnered with the county government to develop Heybrook Ridge County Park, which opened in 2017.<ref name="Herald-Hoedown">{{cite news |last=Nile |first=Amy |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Index hoedown aims to blaze new trails |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/index-hoedown-aims-to-blaze-new-trails/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 5, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Rikki |date=April 10, 2016 |title=New trails with easier access coming to park near Index |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/new-trails-with-easier-access-coming-to-park-near-index/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref>

The [[Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife]], in a partnership with the [[Tulalip Tribes]], published plans in 2021 to construct a [[fish hatchery]] near [[Sunset Falls]]. The hatchery aims to increase the population of native [[steelhead trout]] in the Skykomish River, which had been stocked with imported trout from the [[Columbia River]] basin.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sanders |first=Julia-Grace |date=March 4, 2021 |title=New hatchery on Skykomish to end practice of importing fish |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/new-hatchery-on-skykomish-to-end-practice-of-importing-fish/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=May 4, 2025}}</ref>