Lake Whatcom Landscape Plan

lake whatcom as seen from a nearby forest

State Trust Lands

Lake Whatcom Landscape plan

We are working with Whatcom County on the formal agreement that will outline the steps to transfer or ‘re-convey’ up to 8,000 acres of state forest trust lands in the Lake Whatcom watershed. As specified in state law, the county will use any re-conveyed lands for a park. The target for an agreement to lay out the steps is January 2008.

Part of the concept is to trade some of the state forest trust lands in the Whatcom watershed for some of the other state trust lands that are intermingled in the Whatcom watershed. The exchange would ‘block up’ the state forest trusts lands so that the parcels to be re-conveyed would be together, and the federally granted state trust lands would be together for more effective management into the future.

If the proposed land exchange and reconveyance project moves forward, there will be a public hearing to receive ideas and concerns about the proposal. Public comments will be presented to the decision makers. Final decisions will be made by the Whatcom County Council and the state Board of Natural Resources–which makes policy decision regarding state trust lands.

With the assistance of a five member inter-jurisdictional committee, our foresters, engineers and scientists have been implementing the Lake Whatcom Landscape Management Plan that was finalized and approved by the Board of Natural Resources in 2004.

Following are reports on DNR’s activities on the state trust lands under the plan.

Planned Activities for 2008