Real Briefings
County Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
The Whatcom County Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee approved a resolution authorizing staff to proceed with acquiring conservation easements on four properties totaling 1,144 acres. The committee unanimously recommended approval for AB2025-565, which would allow the Conservation Easement Program to move forward with easement acquisitions worth an estimated $3.53 million while leveraging an 81% match from state and federal funding sources. The four properties represent the largest conservation easement acquisitions in the program's 20-year history, with three working forest properties in the Mount Baker foothills and one smaller farmland property along the Middle Fork Nooksack River. The acquisitions would extinguish 57 development rights and protect over 1,100 acres of working forest and agricultural land. Program staff highlighted two new major funding sources: a $1 million Forest Legacy Program award providing 75% matching funds for working forest easements, and a $2 million Puget Sound Riparian Systems Grant requiring no local match for stream buffer conservation. The local Conservation Futures fund would contribute only $650,000 of the total cost, with the remainder covered by state and federal programs.
**AB2025-565 - Conservation Easement Authorization Resolution** - **Vote:** 2-0 (Galloway, Stremler; Donovan absent) - **Staff Recommendation:** Approve - **Council Action:** Recommended for approv…
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The committee discussed the significant expansion of the Conservation Easement Program, which has historically focused on smaller farmland preservation but is now pursuing large-scale working forest easements. Alexander Harris explained that the program has evolved since 2018 when Council updated guidelines to include working forest lands.
A key policy development is the program's shift toward larger properties. Harris noted that easement acquisitions take approximately the same amount of time regardless of size, making larger properties more strategically valuable. The average property size in the current pipeline is 18…
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**Alexander Harris, Conservation Easement Program Outreach Coordinator:**
Emphasized the strategic value of pursuing larger properties and leveraging external funding sources. Advocated for the program's evolution toward working forest easements as more commercially and strategically important than smaller farmland parcels.
**Paul Schissler, Conservation Easement Program Oversight Committee Chair:**
Supported the four property acquisitions and highlighted the committee's effor…
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**Alexander Harris, on property size strategy:**
"My own personal and professional opinion, as well as my colleague, Lauren Templeton, we co run this program together. We're more interested in the bigger properties. It's 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 acres, it's almost the same amount of work."
**Alexander Harris, on funding leverage:**
"Conservation futures would be expected to cover $650,000 o…
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- September committee meeting scheduled to discuss financing options for the conservation easement program - Supplemental budget request for the Taylor property (14-acre Middle Fork property) later in 2025 - Supplemental budget requests for the…
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The Conservation Easement Program received authorization to pursue the largest easement acquisitions in its 20-year history, representing a 50% increase in total protected acreage. The program shifted from primarily small farmland preservation to large-scale working forest conservation.
The county secured $3 million in new external funding sources (Forest Lega…
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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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