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 State Conservation Commission proposes to acquire a conservation easement on 317 acres to preserve the agricultural conservation values in perpetuity. The property is located in Kittitas County, an area characterized by the pastoral landscape at the eastern foothills of the cascades. This landscape is defined by its proximity to the cascades as well as its rich soils and valuable wildlife habitat. Preserving high-quality irrigated farmland like Foothills Farm has a multitude of benefits for the farming family, the agricultural community of Kittitas County, and the wildlife that utilize the unique habitats on the farm. In addition to extensive fields and hedgerows, the property has multiple wetlands, is bisected by the Palouse to the Cascades trail, and is bordered by the 3,600-acre Springwood Ranch, which is a recent acquisition by the Trust for Public Lands.The project has been developed in partnership between the State Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Kittitas County Conservation District (KCCD). SCC will hold and steward the easement, backed by the resources of Washinton State. As the local entity, KCCD will be contracted to monitor the easement on an annual basis. SCC and KCCD are both governmental organizations founded in Washington State law with good governance practices in place to assure transparency, accountability and sound stewardship of public fund investment.