Take action to help protect our most valuable state public lands

WILD NW Action Alert #312: Ask your legislators to continue to fund and empower the Trust Land Transfer Program.

Since 1989, the State of Washington has spent more than $800 million to protect about 128,000 acres of state public lands for wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and other public benefits through a process called Trust Land Transfer (TLT). But this vital program is at risk of being overlooked in this difficult budget year. You can help!

Washington has about three million acres of public forests, sagelands and other habitat managed by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Of this, almost two million acres belong to the Common School Trust, established by the Washington State Constitution with lands gifted by Congress. The DNR generally logs these acres to help fund school construction. But some places are more valuable and pristine, providing important public benefits, so the Legislature created a process to protect crown jewels by using Capital Budget dollars to buy them out of Trust status.

Some of your favorite places may have been saved in this way. Such areas as Tiger Mountain, Cypress Island, Lummi Peak, Chopaka Lake, Elsworth Island, and many more were all established through TLT. The wildlands of the Loomis  State Forest were protected through a similar process but using private funds. The last big TLT wins were when the Legislature appropriated the final $10 million for Blanchard Mountain in 2018 and $6.3 million for Dabob Bay in 2019.

Ask your legislators to keep this vital program alive—our action form makes it easy!

Many candidates for TLT have limited timber value due to protected species or features. TLT is the only tool DNR has to protect such places and compensate with acres better suited for long-term revenue generation. Yet funding for TLT has declined since before the 2008 recession, putting at risk vital natural areas with strong public support.

The DNR, which recommended this program continue in its 2021 report, recently identified ten worthy candidates for TLT. In this letter from last fall, conservation leaders highlighted two of those ten: Devils Lake (Dabob Bay) and Morning Star (near Sultan), but the cases are also strong for Blakely Island and Eglon (near Kingston).

By including at least $21.5 million in the Capital Budget Bill for TLT, state legislators will fund the program and protect these four special places on our public lands. As the pandemic exposes massive demand for outdoor recreation, access to natural places is increasingly important. This funding will go a long way in providing invaluable contributions to public health and local economies, as well as wildlife and clean water.

Please take action today by urging your legislators to fund the Trust Land Transfer Program using our simple form!

 

Suggested letter to state legislators:

Dear Legislators,

As your constituent and a user of Washington’s public lands, I am writing to request that you include at least $21.5 million in the Capital Budget Bill to fund the Trust Land Transfer program (TLT). With a difficult budget year ahead, the TLT is at risk of being overlooked, but I urge you to invest in this vital program.

Washingtonians cherish many of the places established through the TLT, including Tiger Mountain, Cypress Island, Lummi Peak, Chopaka Lake, Elsworth Island, Blanchard Mountain and Dabob Bay. The massive demand for outdoor recreation during the pandemic has outstripped access, which makes these areas and future opportunities to conserve additional areas an invaluable contribution to not only wildlife and clean water, but public health and local economies, too.

Including at least $21.5 million in the Capital Budget Bill would be enough to protect all four of these very worthy areas while maintaining the vibrancy of the TLT overall: Devils Lake, Morning Star, Blakely Island and Eglon.

The TLT is the Washington Department of Natural Resources’ only tool that can conserve lands with protected species and beneficial features for Washingtonians, who strongly support the protection of these vital areas.

Through the Trust Land Transfer Program, we can protect places Washingtonians like myself love while providing revenues to the school trusts. This win-win is worth fighting for today and reinventing as needed tomorrow.

Regards,

YOUR NAME

Thank you for TAKING ACTION! Learn more about the Trust Land Transfer Program in this letter from our Executive Director to Governor Inslee, or this RECENT OP-ED in the Seattle Times.