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
Forterra will use this grant to buy a voluntary land preservation agreement, also known as a conservation easement, to conserve forever the 150-acre Upper Naneum Creek Farm, northeast of Ellensburg. With excellent soils, adequate water rights, significant acreage, and southern exposure, the farm is ideally suited for long-term agricultural use. Currently, the farm is irrigated pasture but is capable of supporting crops, pasture, and rangeland. The farm includes about 43 acres of important shrub steppe habitat, which is excluded from grazing and reserved for wildlife. The agreement will allow for future habitat improvements for wildlife and steelhead trout, which are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Forterra will contribute $366,084 in federal and local grants