March 2006
Conservation Futures Fund: The County Version of Bellinghams Greenways
by Sarah Kuck
Sarah Kuck studies environmental journalism at WWU and is also the chief editor of the Huxley College publication The Planet.
For more than 13 years, citizens of Whatcom County have been using their six cents to preserve and protect open spaces. Although names like Chuckanut Mountain and Stimpson Nature Reserve may be more familiar to most, a fund called Conservation Futures is influencing how the natural environment of Whatcom County will look in the future.
Since 1993, Whatcom County has been collecting a tax of 6.25 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value and storing it in the Conservation Futures Fund. The county uses the tax money to purchase lands for conservation in Whatcom County.
The definition for what lands the County Council can purchase for conservation covers every conceivable natural resource in the county and the fund’s allocation is up to the discretion of the council, County Councilmember Seth Fleetwood said.
According to the levy, the county can use Conservation Futures to purchase open space land, farms and agricultural land and timberland so as to protect, preserve, maintain, improve, restore, limit the future use of, or otherwise conserve the property for public use or enjoyment.
As of August 2005, the fund’s total revenue was $592,764. The council spent $448,639 of the fund’s total revenue completing projects such as conserving more than 1,000 acres in the Lake Whatcom watershed, preserving additional parkland and have or are in the final stages of purchasing 500 acres of prime farmland that was zoned for development, County Councilmember Laurie Caskey-Schreiber said.
When purchases come up, the council has to make sure the money is spent appropriately, said Councilmember Ward Nelson. He said lately the council has emphasized purchasing land around Lake Whatcom to protect water quality. Land purchases increase in priority around streams, close to the lake or in potential intense development areas, Nelson said.
Additionally, the council has purchased land next to a significant heron colony out in the Birch Bay area to enhance their habitat and protect the area from encroaching development, Caskey-Schreiber said.
County Often Partners With Other Groups
The county often partners funds with funds from other groups concerned with land conservation. Purchasing the land for the heron colony was a combination of work from Whatcom County, British Petroleum, the Department of Ecology and Whatcom Land Trust.
In this case, Whatcom Land trust put up the time and labor of putting together the deal, while the other parties contributed the funds, said Rand Jack, a Whatcom Land Trust board member.
Transactions are strongest when they involve a consensus of people from different sectors who hold the view that land preservation is important, Jack said.
“We need to protect the land and allow our children to enjoy it,” Jack said. “If we remove open spaces we are not being very responsible to the next generation.”
Conservation Futures is a local county source of funding specifically geared toward protecting and conserving open spaces, said Michael McFarlane, director of the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department. Parks uses the fund to make priority acquisitions for trail projects, boating access, conservation and wildlife habitat, McFarlane said.
Parks recently used $199,371 from Conservation Futures money to partially fund the purchase of a 15-acre track of land along the north side of Terrell Creek.
“It allows us to acquire property we wouldn’t have had funding for,” McFarlane said. “It’s one tool we use, and it’s a good fund because it’s continual and not dependant on legislation.”
The department either approaches landowners who have property that is desirable to let them know the department is interested or the land is donated in part or in full, McFarlane said.
The council recently completed an analysis of Whatcom County parkland. The analysis concluded that the county needs to acquire an additional 1,100 acres to maintain the current level of service for the citizens of Whatcom County. The council will need to expand and continue the Conservation Futures Fund to meet that goal, Caskey-Schreiber said.
The fund is important because it provides an opportunity for the public to benefit from these environmental gems that would otherwise be in private hands, Fleetwood said.
“The fund has dual benefits because it protects some quality we want to protect such as watersheds or agricultural land,” Fleetwood said. “And frequently, it provides public access to wonderful places.”
The intent of Conservation Futures is to preserve land for the future, for our children and for land of natural importance, Nelson said.
“I want to see some of the areas of Whatcom County preserved for people to enjoy,” Nelson said. “We need to preserve land to protect the environment, but also areas within the Urban Growth Area to make sure we leave open spaces as our communities expand.” §
