Thurston County enters grant-funded Working Lands Conservation Strategy contract

Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved a grant-funded contract with Environmental Science Associates (ESA) to complete the Thurston County Working Lands Conservation Strategy on Tuesday, June 4.

The contract of $350,155 will run from June 4 through June 30, 2026.

Thurston County received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s National Estuary Program Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead Grant program to develop an actionable Working Lands Conservation Strategy that incentivizes habitat protection and restoration on agricultural lands and working forests.

“The grant is funded federally by the EPA and is being passed through the Department of Natural Resources in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife,” said Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Associate Planner Dana Bowers.

Community Planning and Economic Development Associate Planner Dana Bowers sought approval from Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners for …

The board approved the grant from EPA in November 2023 and the quest for proposals was approved January 2024. The County issued a Request For Proposals from February 16 through March 8 to solicit professional consultant(s) assistance in completing grant deliverables.

Two proposals were received and competitively ranked with ESA being selected. According to the agenda document, ESA’s work will encompass the development of a prioritized list of working land conservation needs, the identification of new conservation tools and associated funding solutions, and the creation of a sustainable implementation strategy.

The work under this contract will be funded through an EPA grant agreement to support the continued implementation of CPA-16 or the Community-Driven Review of Agriculture, and Development Code Docket Item A-26 or the Transfer of Development Rights & Purchase of Development Rights Program Updates.

The selected consultant will develop an actionable Working Lands Conservation Strategy focusing on providing incentives for working farms and forest land protection, which includes an update to land conservation programs such as the Transfer and Purchase of Development Rights, Conservation Futures, and Open Space Tax Incentives.