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 Okanogan Land Trust (OLT) used this grant to acquire 337 acres of farmland via an agricultural conservation easement in perpetuity. The Hays ranch is located on the upper reach of Nine Mile Creek, & borders Canada in the Okanogan Highlands east of Oroville. This project supports the Landowner Incentive Program to protect habitat along Nine Mile Creek which supports native Redband trout, & sharptail grouse. Nine Mile Creek is the northernmost reach of anadromous species in Washington. Although anadromous species are not on this property due to a natural falls, they populate Nine Mile Creek immediately downstream; conditions on this stretch are important to their health. The land is currently used for light grazing.