New legislation to protect working farms across the state
Bill adds new category to highly acclaimed Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program
Olympia - Legislation signed into law by Gov. Christine Gregoire will provide significant new funds for farmland protection, helping local communities around the state preserve and enhance working farms for generations to come.
The farmland protection provision, passed by the legislature last month as SB5396, adds a new category to the highly acclaimed Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), the first major amendment to the program since its inception in 1990. The nationally recognized WWRP empowers local communities to acquire land for outdoor recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat protection through a competitive grant process.
Under the provisions of the new bill, local governments can now apply for WWRP grants to protect working farms, lands that will stay in private hands and remain active agricultural enterprises. Depending on how much money the legislature directs to the WWRP, as much as 10 percent of the program's funds could go towards farmland protection in the next legislative cycle, which begins in 2007. The legislature this year appropriated $50 million for the WWRP.
"This gives counties and cities a powerful new tool to help keep farmers farming," said Terry Hunt, president of the Washington State Grange. "As such, it's a significant boost in ensuring that we protect the economic health and vitality of our rural communities."
SB5396 also requires the state to make payments in lieu of taxes to local counties for those lands that the state Department of Natural Resources purchases and/or protects as habitat. This will affect all of the state's Natural Area Preserves and Natural Resource Conservation Areas, including ones already established.
"This bill is great for counties," said Eric Johnson, a Lewis County commissioner. "Counties, particularly rural ones, suffer financially when lands are taken off the tax rolls. The state's payments in lieu of taxes for DNR's habitat lands will help compensate the counties for their contribution to wildlife protection-something many of us have wanted to see for a long time."
A final provision in the bill adds another new category to the WWRP - protection of the state's rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries and saltwater areas. A significant boost in funding for freshwater and marine areas will help counties with their local planning efforts, help communities maintain clean and healthy water and help protect a wide array of wildlife.
The new legislation enhances a program that is already considered incredibly successful. Over the past 15 years, the legislature has appropriated more than $450 million for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, creating new neighborhood parks, ball fields, and trails and conserving thousands of acres of exceptional wildlife habitat. This year's appropriation of $50 million will provide funding for approximately 70 projects in more than 25 counties across the state.
The bill passed by wide margins in both chambers, after a coalition of conservationists, farm advocates, representatives of county governments, Realtors, and others came together in support of the legislation. The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, an independent organization established to secure funding for the WWRP, played a lead role in the effort.
"This is a significant advancement for a program that has already done so much for the people of Washington state, their communities, and the parks and wildlife areas we all cherish," said Craig Lee, who chairs the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. "This will only strengthen a program that is already the envy of people in other parts of the country."
The Nature Conservancy, another strong advocate of the WWRP, also praised the legislation.
"Farms are the backbone of many of our communities, providing stability, economic vitality, and a rural beauty many Washingtonians appreciate. And healthy waterways - from lakes to estuaries to the Puget Sound - are vital to both human health and ecological health," said David Weekes, head of the Conservancy's Washington chapter. "This is a wonderful example of how we in the conservation community can work in partnership with the agricultural community and others to protect the state's rural character and natural beauty."
