Welcome to Skagit County

April 19th, 2011

Unique partnership protects 32 acres of prime farmland at I-5 Conway interchange

SKAGIT COUNTY - The Skagit County Farmland Legacy Program (FLP) has joined together for the first time in its 15-year history with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Nature Conservancy, and Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland (SPF) to protect 32 acres of prime farmland in Conway, adjacent to the southbound I-5 on-ramp.

A new sign at the property will reflect a partnership that brought together two public agencies (FLP and EPA), two nonprofit organizations (the Conservancy and SPF), and a private family trust to secure the strategic parcel, owned by Wylie Farms.

Skagit County's Farmland Legacy Program buys agricultural easements based on a willing seller-willing buyer model, to protect Skagit Valley's fertile agricultural land base for future generations. This unique partnership brought together funding from Skagit County's conservation futures fund, EPA grant dollars through a Conservancy-funded project at Fisher Slough, technical assistance from Conservancy staff, and private donations received by SPF, whose donors and members are interested in protecting farmland from conversion.

"It has been long recognized that the value of farmland in the Skagit Valley extends beyond the direct economic benefits and includes environmental goods and services such as the relationship to climate regulation, flood control, wildlife habitat, water quality, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, open space, and scenic landscapes," said Allen Rozema of Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. "We are pleased to be partnering with the Conservancy, EPA, and the Farmland Legacy Program on a project that recognizes the role farmland plays in the ecology and well-being of Skagit Valley."

"We value partnerships as a way to leverage public and private dollars to maximize protection of farmland from the constant threat of conversion as well as help farmers reinvest back into their farms and keep dollars local," said Kendra Smith, Director of the Farmland Legacy Program.
"The Conservancy is proud to have played a role in this cooperative effort to conserve this property that protects important salmon-bearing waters and keeps the fertile Skagit soil in farmland. It's another example of the great things that can happen when we all work together for Skagit County's way of life," said Karen Anderson, the Conservancy's Washington director.

This latest protected farm acreage marks the fourth time that SPF has partnered with the Farmland Legacy Program to protect over 200 acres of farmland south of the City of Mount Vernon, and the second time the Conservancy has partnered with the Farmland Legacy Program to protect over 478 acres on Fir Island. Overall, the Farmland Legacy Program has protected more than 8,000 acres in Skagit County since 1997.

"The Farmland Legacy Program is one of the most successful farmland protection programs in the United States," said Bob Hart, President of Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. "It is a shining model of collaboration that leverages matching public and private dollars to effectively double and triple the impact of every dollar used."