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 (SCC) seeks to acquire an agricultural conservation easement on 336 acres of highly productive orchard and shrub steppe habitat in Chelan County, near the city of Manson. The property sits on the foothills overlooking Lake Chelan, where it has produced high quality fruit for decades. The property consists of a broad diversity of soil types, highly productive orchards, wetlands, and shrub steppe habitat. In addition to the agricultural value of the property, there are also wetlands and shrub steppe habitat that provide unique habitat for birds and wildlife. The property is owned and managed by Hinterlands Farm LLC, a subsidiary of International Farming LLC. While this ownership structure is not typical for this grant category it is important to note that easements do not control future ownership and any farm protected by an easement could, in the future, be owned by a corporate entity or a local producer and it is the land, not the owner, that the easement is meant to address. This area of the state is both a hub of agricultural activity and the site of growing development pressure. This easement would be the first of its kind in the area. The project has been developed in partnership between the State Conservation Commission and the Cascadia Conservation District (CCD). SCC will hold the easement, backed by the resources of Washington State. As the local entity, CCD will be contracted to monitor the easement on an annual basis.