County hires contractors to implement habitat conservation program

The Board of County Commissioners approved the contract of four organizations to implement the county’s habitat conservation program.

As part of the board’s consent agenda on Tuesday, October 1, the board authorized the contracts of Capitol Land Trust, Center for Natural Lands Management, Ecostudies Institute, and Washington State University (WSU) Extension in Olympia.

These organizations would help the county support the work needed for its Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which makes it easier for property owners to develop lands where protected species live or appear. The HCP streamlines the permitting process while providing for mitigation of impacted habitats.

According to earlier briefings on the topic, Ashley Arai, the director of the county’s Community Planning and Economic Development department, said that the contracts for the first three organizations will be capped at $350,000 for the duration of the agreement, while WSU’s contract will be for $150,000. All four contracts are for three years.

Arai mentioned that the contracts are similar to the county’s other on-call service contracts, which would help speed up the process when work needs to be done.

According to the contracts, the Center for Natural Lands Management and Ecostudies Institute will facilitate the management of conservation sites. Arai mentioned that this may call for mowing, fencing, and restoring the sites with proper vegetation.

WSU Extension will be tasked with doing the same, but specifically for the Early Blue Violet demonstration site near Tenino.

How these tasks will be performed will depend on the plans and strategies in the county’s HCP.

For Capitol Land Trust, the organization will help the county develop conservation easements and hold stewardship endowments for the conservation sites.

According to the county website, the county’s HCP reserves around 3,500 acres for the conservation of species such as the Mazama pocket gopher, Oregon spotted frog, Oregon vesper sparrow, and the Taylors checkerspot butterfly.