A Washington family has farmed the same land for more than 70 years as a dairy, hay farm and agritourism business; nearly 40 acres can now never be developed even though the family keeps ownership
For more than seven decades, the Foster family has worked the same stretch of Washington farmland, raising dairy cattle, producing hay and opening its operation to visitors through agritourism. Now, nearly 40 acres of that family-owned property will remain farmland permanently, giving the land a future that extends well beyond the current generation, states an online press release by Forterra Org. Scroll down to read the details of the farm owned by Brian and Connie Foster.
Nearly 40 acres protected forever
The farmland along State Route 530 NE in the Stillaguamish Valley has been placed under permanent conservation through a partnership involving Forterra and Snohomish County, with support from the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, states the press release. As per the release, the agreement prevents future development on the protected acreage while allowing the Foster family to retain ownership. The land can continue to be farmed, but its conservation status means it cannot be converted to residential or other development in the future.For a family that has worked the property for more than 70 years, the arrangement preserves both the land and its role in the valley’s agricultural landscape. The protected parcels sit next to the Portage Creek Wildlife Area and within a designated Flood Hazard Zone critical area, making their undeveloped status significant beyond agriculture alone.
A working farm with environmental benefits
As per the release, conserving the property also helps maintain an important piece of the Stillaguamish Valley’s floodplain. Keeping the acreage open can contribute to flood management by preserving land that can absorb and slow floodwaters, states the release. The undeveloped farmland can also help reduce pollution and agricultural runoff reaching downstream waterways.Rather than removing the property from private use, the conservation easement creates a middle ground: the Fosters retain ownership and can continue farming while agreeing to permanent restrictions on development. That approach has become an important tool for protecting working farms in areas where agricultural land faces increasing development pressure, explains the online press release.
A broader effort in the Stillaguamish Valley
The Foster property is part of a larger conservation effort involving Forterra, Snohomish County, the Stillaguamish Tribe and local landowners. Funding for the easements came through Snohomish County’s Conservation Futures program, along with support from the Stillaguamish Tribe through the Washington Department of Ecology’s Floodplains by Design grant program, informs the release. The funding supports projects designed to improve floodplain restoration and resilience.The Foster family now joins other landowners in the valley who have used conservation easements to keep farmland and habitat protected while allowing properties to remain privately owned. For the Stillaguamish Valley, those individual agreements add up to a larger effort to maintain agricultural land, preserve habitat and protect the natural functions of the floodplain.
Part of a statewide conservation record
The latest agreement is also one piece of Forterra’s broader conservation work. The organization has completed nearly 500 conservation transactions across Washington, protecting more than 275,000 acres, informs the release. In Snohomish County alone, Forterra holds or has helped facilitate more than a dozen conservation easements. The organization also monitors more than 100 easement properties each year to make sure the agreed-upon conservation protections remain intact.For the Foster family, the nearly 40 acres represent something more tangible, a farmland that can stay in the family while remaining farmland for generations to come.Image Courtesy: istock
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