Farmland Preservation protects valuable farmland and habitat for recreationally important animals, like salmon, birds, deer, and elk. These projects allow families to continue farming the land they have worked on for generations, and provide Washingtonians with healthy local food and a diverse economy. WWRP is the only source of farmland preservation funding in the state budget.
This month’s featured project is Orting Valley Farm, located on the ancestral lands of the Puyallup people. Pierce County, in partnership with the Puget Community Cooperative Farmland Trust, used this grant to acquire three agricultural conservation easements on a historic 100-acre farm in the Puyallup River Valley. The landowner needed to sell all interest in the property, so the County and Trust found three farmers to purchase the underlying land, subject to the easements. This complicated transaction stands as an example of outstanding coordination and cooperation.
