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
Pierce County used this grant to acquire a permanent agricultural conservation easement on the Mountain View Dairy, a historic farm in the Graham community. The agricultural conservation easement protects the farms 284 acres and extinguishes 26 development rights. PCC Farmland Trust partnered with The Conservation Fund to get the farm off the development market and bridge the gap until a conservation easement could be acquired with the ultimate goal of returning the farm to private ownership. The farm is now under a lease-to-purchase agreement with a local farm family who operates a certified organic dairy. When the fee property is sold to the farmer, Pierce County intends to transfer the conservation easement to PCC Farmland Trust. All project due diligence including the stewardship plan, surveys, and title work are complete. The conservation easement was recorded on January 8, 2020.