Prioritization
   

​Morningstar NRCA
 
In this step of the Trust Land Transfer (TLT) process, DNR will provide the list of eligible parcels to an external advisory committee. The advisory committee's role is to review each proposed, eligible transfer and score it based on five prioritization criteria. The scores will be used to place the parcels in order of priority for transfer.
 
The parcels are prioritized because the funding that DNR receives each biennium from the Washington State Legislature may not be sufficient to transfer all of the parcels on the list. In this situation, higher-priority parcels are more likely to be transferred than parcels further down the list. If an eligible parcel is not transferred due to lack of funds, the applicant can resubmit the parcel to DNR for consideration in a subsequent biennium.

The Prioritization Process

Step One: Parcel Review

The advisory committee will meet to review the eligible parcels. Each applicant will give a short presentation on their proposed parcel and answer questions. Applicants should follow these guidelines:
  • Keep your presentation under 15 minutes.
  • If using PowerPoint or similar tools, include fewer than 15 slides.
  • Include location, size, and other basic information, and why you believe this parcel is a good candidate for the TLT program. If possible, include photos of the proposed parcel.
Refer to the TLT Program Manual for more detailed instructions.

Step Two: Scoring

The advisory committee will score each parcel according to five prioritization criteria (shown in alphabetical order):
  • Morningstar NRCACommunity involvement and support: How much public outreach has occurred about the transfer, and whether the community supports or opposes the transfer.
  • Ecological values: The water, minerals, biota, and other factors that make up natural ecosystems and support native life forms. Examples of high ecological values include habitat for sensitive, threatened, and endangered species, and forests that meet the definition of old growth in DNR's Policy for Sustainable Forests.
  • Economic values: The positive or negative economic values associated with the transfer. For example, a transfer may benefit local industries by attracting more visitors to an area. Or, the transfer may negatively affect a local industry.
  • Public benefits: Attributes that have a positive effect on the local community and the general public, such as opportunities for recreation or scientific study.
  • Tribal support: Whether tribes support, oppose, or are neutral about the transfer.
Each criterion will be awarded 0 to 5 points. Many criteria also have a multiplier, as shown below:
  • Community involvement and support: 2
  • Ecological values: 3
  • Economic impacts: No multiplier
  • Public benefits: 3
  • Tribal support: 3
Multipliers give some criteria more weight than others. For example, a score of 3 for ecological values would be multiplied by 3 for a total of 9 points. Click here to see the full prioritization criteria and how they are scored.
 
Each advisory committee member will score the parcels on their own (not during the meeting) and submit them to DNR.

Step Three: Tabulation and Review

DNR will sum and average the scores for each parcel and use the scores to place the parcels in order of priority. The higher the score, the higher the priority. DNR will meet with the advisory committee to review the results.

After the Parcels are Prioritized

DNR will bring the prioritized list to the Board of Natural Resources for their approval. The Board will review the list and either approve it as presented, or make changes to it. For example, the Board may move parcels up or down in priority, or remove parcels from the list.
 
The Board may suggest adding a parcel to the list, but that parcel would need to go through the full TLT process. If this occurs, DNR will recommend that the proposed parcel be considered for a subsequent biennium.