The Washington legislature approved $4.7 million in Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) funding that will preserve 10 farms from development. This is the first time WWRP funding has been directed towards farmland preservation. Beneficiaries include: Peoples Ranch in Snohomish County, Glendale Farm in Jefferson County, Ebey’s Reserve Farmland in Island County, Terry’s Berries Farm in Pierce County, Orting Valley Farms in Pierce County, Willie Greens Organic Farm in Snohomish County, Rattlesnake Hills Working Rangeland in Yakima County, Useless Bay East Farmland in Island County, Crown S Ranch Farmland in Okanogan County, and Biderbost Farm in Snohomish County.
Excerpt: “WWRP officials say that the farms qualifying for the program are valuable for what they produce, while serving as wildlife habitat, as buffers against urban expansion and as a filter for clean water.”