[Seattle, WA] Beginning this winter, the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) will be accepting the first applications for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program’s (WWRP) new Forestland Preservation category.
In 2016, the state legislature expanded the WWRP to include the preservation of working forests that protect wildlife habitat, provide ecological benefits, and offer opportunities for public access. Typical Forestland Preservation projects include the purchase of conservation easements to protect forestland that is being threatened by development, and restoring stream corridors to preserve riparian habitat and protect clean water.
Eligible applicants–which include Washington state cities and counties, nonprofit nature conservancies, and the State Conservation Commission–must submit their completed applications before May 2, 2017 to be considered in this special grant round. In order for forestland to be eligible for such grants, it must be predominantly dedicated to the production of timber and be enrolled in either the open space property tax program or the forestland property tax program. Eligible types of forest include tribal, community, industrial, public, and private forests.
Washington cities and counties, as well as nonprofit nature conservancy applicants, must provide a one-to-one matching fund. This match may be met with cash, appropriations, bonds, donations of land, labor, equipment, or materials, or federal, state, local, and private grants. The match requirement does not apply to grants sponsored by the State Conservation Commission. The maximum grant request amount in the Forestland Preservation category is $350,000.
Interested applicants are encouraged to learn more about the application process and the new category requirements in a free RCO webinar on March 8 at 1:00 PM PST. Register here to reserve your webinar spot.
For more information, contact Danica Johnson at Danica@WildlifeRecreation.org.