Category Overview
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.
Project Highlights
This project acquired five permanent agricultural conservation easements on 106 acres of prime, productive farmland within Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island. The properties have been actively farmed for well over a century. Due to prime soils, long growing season, and sufficient water supply, the properties’ economic productivity is excellent for a wide variety of crops, including produce, seed crops, alfalfa, wheat, barley, and corn. The properties are all south of the historic Town of Coupeville and provide historic agricultural context for both the Town and Ebey’s Reserve. These farmland properties are also surrounded by hundreds of acres of land protected by agricultural conservation easements held by a variety of public agencies and conservation organizations. Island County and Whidbey Camano Land Trust co-hold the easements.