### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee met on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, to consider authorization for the Conservation Easement Program to proceed with acquiring easements on four properties. The committee unanimously recommended approval of the resolution, which would protect over 1,100 acres and extinguish 57 development rights. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Conservation Easement:** A legal agreement where landowners voluntarily give up certain development rights while retaining ownership, permanently protecting land for agricultural or forest use. **Development Rights:** The legal ability to subdivide and develop property; in rural forestry zones, this typically means one residence per 20 acres. **Working Forest Easement:** A type of conservation easement that prohibits residential development but allows continued commercial timber harvesting. **Forest Legacy Program:** A new federal funding source administered by the Department of Natural Resources that provides 75% matching funds for working forest easements. **Conservation Futures Fund:** Local property tax revenue dedicated to land conservation and open space acquisition. **Rural Forestry Zoning (RF):** A zoning designation that allows one residence per 20 acres, designed to protect commercial timber operations. **Site Class:** A forestry term measuring soil productivity; Site Class 2 is highly productive ground where Douglas fir grows very well. **Conservation Easement Program Oversight Committee (CEPOC):** A nine-member committee that reviews and recommends easement applications to the County Council. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kaylee Galloway | Committee Chair, Council Member District 2 | | Mark Stremler | Committee Member, Council Member District 3 | | Todd Donovan | Committee Member (absent), Council Member District 1 | | Alexander Harris | Conservation Easement Program Outreach Coordinator, PDS | | Paul Schissler | Conservation Easement Program Oversight Committee Chair | | Jon Scanlon | Council Member participating remotely | ### Background Context Whatcom County's Conservation Easement Program has protected nearly 2,000 acres over 20 years, but recent staff additions have dramatically increased landowner interest. The program now has 11 applications pending that would protect another 2,000 acres and 90 development rights, with an estimated value of $9 million. This surge in interest reflects growing pressure on forestland and farmland from residential development, particularly in the Mount Baker foothills where commercial timber operations are concentrated. The program has evolved from focusing primarily on farmland preservation to include working forest easements since 2018. These forest easements are strategically important because they maintain large contiguous areas for commercial forestry while preventing the fragmentation that occurs when properties are subdivided for residential development. ### What Happened — The Short Version Staff presented four conservation easement applications totaling 1,144 acres in the Mount Baker foothills area. Three are large working forest properties (280-610 acres each) owned by families involved in commercial forestry. One is a smaller 14-acre property along the Middle Fork Nooksack River that combines ecological protection with farming potential. The total cost is $3.53 million, with 81% covered by state and federal matching funds, requiring only $650,000 in local conservation futures funding. The committee unanimously voted to recommend council approval for staff to proceed with the easement acquisition process. ### What to Watch Next - Supplemental budget request for the Taylor property (14 acres) later in 2025 - Supplemental budget requests for the three larger forest properties in 2026 - September committee discussion about conservation futures financing options - Monthly Conservation Easement Program Oversight Committee meetings open to public attendance ---