proposed foothills land exchange
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is interested in trading up to approximately 6,840 acres of state trust land for approximately 9,351 acres of Green Crow managed property. This exchange involves three DNR trusts which include the Common School (benefits K-12 school construction account), Agricultural School (benefits Washington State University), and State Forest Transfer trust (supports county services). The land exchange would be for equivalent value property and the final parcel selections would occur after obtaining input from the public and completing property appraisals.
Purpose
DNR objectives for this proposed land exchange include consolidating working forest landscapes to enhance and strengthen public trust lands for 21st Century sustainability and to provide key economic, ecologic, biological and social benefits to the state of Washington and its citizens. Actively managed DNR working forests provide forest biodiversity and habitat protection, open space and public access, clean air and water, revenue for the trust beneficiaries for the support of schools, universities, libraries, fire districts, emergency management services and other governmental programs, as well as to provide desirable public recreation opportunities such as bird watching, hiking, fishing, trail riding, hunting, and camping.
Details
The properties involved are located in portions of Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties.
Outreach
DNR held public informational meetings for this exchange in March 2011 in Port Angeles and Aberdeen. The SEPA Notice of Final Determination was issued on June 6, 2011. DNR had two public hearings in June 2012 to obtain public comments about this exchange:
Project Status
Property appraisals are underway together with continued property due diligence actions. The next transaction steps will be to consider the obtained public comments and to continue to collect more information about the exchange parcels.