Welcome to Skagit County

October 4, 2013

State to Recognize Skagit County for Top Ranked Farmland Preservation Project

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office will recognize Skagit County at a special presentation Tuesday for its outstanding project to protect a regionally and internationally important working farm.

Skagit County’s project to conserve nearly 54 acres of the Hedlin Farm was the top ranked project of 22 competing in the farmland preservation category of the statewide grant program, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. Skagit County submitted 11 grant applications last year for farmland preservation projects and was awarded funding for 10 farms from the Recreation and Conservation Office.

“The Hedlin Farm project is a great example of what this grant program aims to accomplish,” said Kaleen Cottingham, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office, which administers the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. “Using this grant, Skagit County was able to leverage state funding by combining it with local funding to ensure we don’t lose more farmland to development.”

The farm provides critical winter forage for migratory birds including snow geese, raptors, shorebirds and swans and is next to Sullivan Slough, which is some of the best estuary habitat in the Skagit Delta. It also is an incredibly important as a working farm, Cottingham said.

Skagit County's population is estimated to almost double in the next 50 years and pressure to convert farmland is increasing dramatically, Cottingham said. The Hedlin Farm borders La Conner and the farm owners constantly receive inquiries about selling their land because of its spectacular views and desirable location, she said.