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
Washington Farmland Trust will use this grant to place a farmland easement on Parlette Orchard located in the Wenatchee Heights area, southeast of Wenatchee in Chelan County. Chelan County’s nationally-valuable irrigated orchard lands are under enormous conversion pressure. As one of the first projects to conserve irrigated orchard land in Chelan County, the Parlette Orchard farmland easement will and extinguish 11 development rights and permanently protect a 67-acre farm with an established cherry orchard for agricultural production in perpetuity. Located on valuable soils of statewide significance for orchard production, and with senior water rights and ideal elevation, the Parlette Orchard is in a location uniquely resilient to the impacts of a changing climate, yet facing increasing development pressures.