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Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee

WHA-CON-CNR-2025-08-06 August 06, 2025 Public Works Committee Whatcom County
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The Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee unanimously recommended approval of a resolution authorizing staff to proceed with acquiring conservation easements on four properties totaling 1,144 acres—a significant expansion that would increase the county's conservation easement program by over 50%. The four properties, all located in the Mount Baker foothills area, represent the largest forest easements the program has ever pursued, with three working forest properties ranging from 240 to 610 acres. The total estimated cost is $3.538 million, with an exceptional 81% match rate from state and federal funding sources, requiring only $650,000 in local conservation futures funds. Staff highlighted two new major funding streams: a $1 million Forest Legacy Program award (the county's first use of this federal program) and a $2 million Puget Sound Riparian Systems grant requiring no local match. The easements would extinguish 57 development rights while preserving commercial timber operations and, in one case, farming opportunities. Committee Chair Galloway emphasized that today's approval only authorizes staff to proceed with acquisition processes, with actual budget requests coming later this year for one property and next year for the remaining three. The program has grown significantly since adding dedicated outreach staff, with 11 applications currently in process covering an additional 2,000 acres beyond these four properties.

**AB2025-565 - Conservation Easement Acquisition Authorization** - **Action:** Recommended for approval - **Vote:** 2-0 (Galloway yes, Stremler yes; Donovan absent) - **Staff Recommendation:** Approve - **Details:** Authorizes staff to proceed with acquisition of conservation easements on four properties: San Fee Acres L…

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**Conservation Easement Program Expansion** The committee discussed the program's dramatic growth since adding dedicated outreach staff, with applications jumping from historical averages to 11 current applications covering 2,000 acres. Staff explained their strategic shift toward larger properties, noting that acquisition time is roughly the same regardless of property size, making bigger parcels more efficient. Alexander Harris noted that foresters and farmers consistently recommend focusing on larger commercial properties as most strategically important for preservation. **Funding Strategy and Leverage** Staff detailed their success in securing unprecedented matching funds, achieving an 81% non-local match rate across the four properties. The new Forest Legacy Program provides 75% federal funding specifically for working forest…
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**Alexander Harris, Conservation Easement Program Outreach Coordinator** Advocated for the four-property package, emphasizing the exceptional leverage of state and federal funding and the strategic importance of larger working land properties. Stressed that today's action only authorizes preliminary work, not budget expenditure. **Paul Schissler, CEP Oversight Committee Chair** Provided context on the program's 20-year history and recent growth, highlighting the committee's unanimous support for all four properties and ongoing effo…
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**Alexander Harris, on funding leverage:** "Conservation futures would be expected to cover 650,000 of this roughly, that is an 81% match. Where we're getting over three quarters of this total cost covered by state and federal programs, and our local dollars are only going towards that, that remaining 18 and a half percent." **Harris, on property size strategy:** "It's pretty interesting, like each easement acquisition takes about the same amount of time. So if it's 10 acres, or if it's 100 a…
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**September 2025:** Committee will discuss budget and revenue options for the conservation easement program **Late 2025:** Supplemental budget request for Taylor Middle Fork property ($100,000 easement) **2026:** Supplemental budget requests for the three larger forest easements (total $3.438 million) **Ongoing:** Formal appraisal processes will begin for all fou…

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The committee advanced the county's largest-ever conservation easement acquisition package, representing a fundamental scaling up of the program from its historical focus on smaller properties. The authorization enables staff to pursue formal appraisals and finalize funding arrangements for 1,144 acres across four properties, more than doubling the program's typical annual activity. The 81% non-local funding match represents the highest leverage ratio the program has achieved, establishing new benchmarks for fiscal effic…
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# Conservation Easement Expansion: County Moves Forward with Four Major Properties ## Meeting Overview On Wednesday morning, August 6, 2025, the Whatcom County Council's Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee convened for a focused 27-minute session that would authorize one of the most significant expansions in the county's conservation easement program history. Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 10:46 a.m., with Council Member Mark Stremler present and Council Member Todd Donovan absent. Several other council members joined virtually or in person to observe the proceedings. The sole agenda item carried enormous implications: authorizing county staff to proceed with conservation easement acquisitions on four properties totaling 1,144 acres — representing a more than 50% increase in the program's 20-year protected acreage. The meeting showcased how strategic grant writing and partnership building had secured over $2.8 million in state and federal matching funds, requiring only $650,000 in local conservation futures money — an 81% match rate that excited committee members. What made this meeting particularly noteworthy was the scale of the proposed easements. While the county's largest conservation easement to date protected 150 acres, three of the four properties under consideration dwarfed that figure, with the largest spanning 610 acres in the Mount Baker foothills. ## The Conservation Easement Program's Evolution Alexander Harris, the county's conservation easement program outreach coordinator, opened the presentation by highlighting how additional staffing had transformed program capacity. Working alongside oversight committee chair Paul Schissler, who joined virtually, Harris painted a picture of a program experiencing unprecedented demand and success in securing external funding. "The county is very fortunate to have excellent staff right now, and thanks to the Council for making that possible using conservation futures fund to put more money into implementing the county policies regarding conservation by using conservation easements," Schissler noted,…
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### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee met on August 6, 2025, to consider authorization for the Conservation Easement Program to proceed with acquiring conservation easements on four properties. The committee unanimously recommended approval of resolution AB2025-565, which would allow staff to move forward with the largest conservation easement acquisitions in the program's 20-year history. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Conservation Easement:** A legal agreement between a landowner and the county that permanently restricts development rights on a property while allowing the landowner to retain ownership and continue farming or forestry operations. **Working Forest Easement:** A type of conservation easement that preserves commercial timber land by removing development rights while allowing continued harvesting and forest management activities. **Development Rights:** The legal ability to subdivide or develop a property for residential or commercial use, which can be permanently removed through conservation easements. **Conservation Futures Fund:** Local property tax revenue specifically dedicated to land conservation and open space acquisition in Whatcom County. **Forest Legacy Program:** A federal Forest Service funding program administered by the Washington Department of Natural Resources that provides 75% matching funds for working forest easements. **Puget Sound Riparian Systems Grant:** A new Department of Ecology program providing 100% funding (no local match required) for conservation easements that protect salmon-bearing streams and rivers. **Rural Forestry Zoning (RF):** County zoning designation that allows one residence per 20 acres and is designed to protect commercial forestry operations. **Site Class:** A forestry classification system measuring soil productivity, with Site Class 2 being highly productive Douglas fir growing land. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kaylee Galloway | Committee Chair, Council Member District 2 | | Mark Stremler | Committee Member, Council Member District 3 | | Alexander Harris | Conservation Easement Program Outreach Coordinator, Planning & Development Services | | Paul Schissl…
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Environmental Land Use & Planning Government Operations AB2025 565 Ag Water Board Conservation Easement Program Conservation Easement Program Oversight Committee Department Ecology Department Natural Resources Forest Service Janicki Family Natural Resource Conservation Service Planning Development Services Recreation Conservation Office San Fee Acres Llc Whatcom Conservation District Alexander Harris Jon Scanlon Kaylee Galloway Lauren Templeton Mark Stremler Paul Schissler Todd Donovan Commercial Forestry Conservation Easements Conservation Futures Development Rights Farmland Preservation Forest Legacy Program Land Fragmentation Middle Fork Nooksack Mount Baker Foothills Riparian Conservation Salmon Recovery Timber Harvest Working Forest Lands