Greetings:

I am happy to inform you that the 2009 Legislature allocated additional funding to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the Riparian Open Space Program. This program offers an option to owners of timbered lands within unconfined channel migration zones (CMZ). A CMZ is the area where the active channel of a river or stream is prone to move in the near term. These areas typically have very high ecological value as spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and other fish species. Under the forest practices rules, no timber harvesting or road construction may occur within CMZs due to their ecological importance. The lands addressed by this program are essentially islands of timber within these segments of rivers or streams. As part of the Riparian Open Space Program, willing landowners can apply to donate or sell a permanent conservation easement covering the trees, or land and trees, to the DNR.

To be eligible for this program the land located in the project must be identified in county assessor records as “designated forest land” under chapter 84.33 RCW or “current use forest land” under chapter 84.34 RCW. Also the land in the project must be free of unacceptable liabilities, such as presence of hazardous waste on the site. For those projects that have multiple interests in the property, all parties must agree to convey or subordinate their interest to the state to the extent necessary for the purchase.

Applications and additional information will be available on the DNR website after March 8, 2010 and applications will be accepted for this funding cycle thru June 7, 2010. Applications received after June 7, 2010 will remain on file for the next funding cycle. The unfunded projects will remain on file to compete with any subsequent funding available in the future.

DNR will evaluate the project applications for eligibility and a selection committee will prioritize the projects based on the information in the application. The criteria for project priority will be:

• Ecological value, including importance to salmonids, water quality benefits, quality of habitat, site significance, etc.
• Immediacy of need on the part of the landowner (i.e. unexpected medical bills)
• Order of receipt of completed applications

The projects with the highest priority will be funded first and with limited funding available for this round of applications the number of projects to be funded in this round is unknown. For the projects that are selected, DNR will cruise the timber in the eligible area and value the easement based on the value used by the Dept. of Revenue’s timber tax stumpage value tables. The landowner will be responsible for the cost of the real estate excise tax and other closing costs involved in the transaction.

The application form and instructions, along with additional general information about the Riparian Open Space Program may be found at the following web site: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/BusinessPermits/Topics/OtherIndustryLandownerResources/Pages/riparian_open_space_program.aspx

If you would like me to mail you an application and instructions, contact me in Olympia at (360) 902-1427 or dan.pomerenk@dnr.wa.gov.

Dan Pomerenk

Conservation Easement Program Manager

Forest Practices Division

Washington State Department of Natural Resources

PO Box 47012

Olympia, WA 98504-7012

(360) 902-1427

Fax (360) 902-1428

dan.pomerenk@dnr.wa.gov

In 2009, the legislature amended the Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) within the larger Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) to include the eligibility of the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to apply for funds through the program. According to the new statutory language, a match is not required for proposals from the SCC.

Grants may be used to buy conservation easements to protect valuable farmland from being converted to another use. Portions of grants may also be used to enhance the agricultural production of preserved farmland or to help restore or enhance ecological functions, including providing benefits to wildlife. Eligible farmland may include ranch land and irrigated or dry cropland.

The pre-proposal process is open and competitive. Pre-proposals are reviewed and scored by SCC staff based on criteria established by the SCC. Staff will submit a prioritized list of projects to the SCC commissioners who will then determine how many projects to advance.

To download the announcement, go to: 2010 WWRP-SCC Announcement

To download a pre-proposal form, go to: 2010 SCC Pre Proposal

For information on the WWRP Farmland Preservation program, please see: RCO WWRP Farmland Preservation Policy Guide

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Josh Giuntoli at 360-407-7474, or Ron Shultz at 360-407-7507.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS,  RJR ENTERPRISES AND MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS!

This will be Mike’s second term on the board.  We greatly appreciate his active participation and faithful service to the citizens of Central Klickitat Conservation District.

On a similar note, CKCD was recently named South Central Area District of the Year.   The South Central Area is made up of Benton, Central Klickitat,  Eastern Klickitat, Franklin, Kittitas, North Yakima, South Yakima, and Underwood Conservation Districts.

CKCD is selling beautiful full-color posters, suitable for display in your home, classroom, or office. Each fine art poster depicts a specific group of native Northwest plants, and features a keyed identification system, including common and botanical names.

We offer Northwest Woodland Flowers (36 x 24), Northwest Native Broad-leaved Trees (36 x 24), Northwest Native Conifers (36 x 24), and Hummingbird Garden (24 x 18).

They normally retail for $14.99 to $19.99, but we are offering them for only $10.00 each, including tax.