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
The Methow Conservancy will permanently protect, via a conservation easement, a 32.1-ac farmland property located near Twisp in Okanogan County, Washington. The site is part of Doubletree Farm’s WSDA licensed Grade-A dairy located in Twisp that maintains a milking herd of Jersey and Jersey-cross cows. The cows are grazed in a rotational grazing system in the summer, with regenerative agriculture practices at the heart of Doubletree Farm’s grazing system. Doubletree Farms sells their milk at our local grocery stores, providing the only locally sourced WSDA certified milk for the Methow Valley. The site contains high-quality soils and water rights, which will be tied to the land in perpetuity as part of the conservation easement. The property is located within 5-ac zoning and will retain one farmstead and eliminate remaining development rights. The site is located in close proximity to other farmland and has easy access to local markets. The project provides an opportunity for restoration and protection of riparian habitat and floodplains along the Methow River, thereby providing benefit to Threatened and Endangered salmonids and other important wildlife species. The protection of working lands and riparian areas is highly valued by residents of the Methow Valley, and protecting this farm will contribute to sustaining agriculture as a way of life in the Methow. Protecting the Doubletree Farms property is supported by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.