The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is planning a public presentation and hearing February 28 in Quilcene to discuss a proposed Inter-Trust Exchange that would allow for the future transfer of up to 826 acres of forestland into the DNR-managed Dabob Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area.

 

DNR proposes to exchange approximately 820 acres of State Forest Land Trust forestland near Quilcene in Jefferson County for equal-valued parcels of Common School Trust forestland in the same area. All parcels involved in this proposed transaction would remain in state ownership.

 

Trust Land Transfer program funding from the Legislature would compensate the Common School Trust for the value of the property to be transferred into the Dabob Bay NRCA.

 

In the long term, all or part of the parcels transferred to the Common School Trust are planned for transfer into the Dabob Bay NRCA to be managed for recreation, wildlife habitat, or open space uses consistent with the management plan for the natural area. A portion of the Dabob Bay property is currently managed as State Forest land, which helps support Jefferson County and its local taxing districts. Under state law, only Common School Trust properties may be transferred through the TLT program, but state law permits DNR to propose inter-trust exchanges to meet the needs of the trust beneficiaries.

 

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. February 28 at the Quilcene School District Multi-Purpose Room, 294715 U.S. Hwy. 101, Quilcene.

 

All prospective attendees are asked to stay home if they have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, or exposure to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

 

DNR is accepting written comments about the proposed land exchange until 5 p.m., March 15, 2023. Email comments to exchanges@dnr.wa.gov. Mail written comments to the Department of Natural Resources, Conservation, Recreation and Transactions Division, Attn: Dabob Bay Inter-Trust Land Exchange, PO Box 47014, Olympia, WA 98504-7014. For more information and to view maps, visit www.dnr.wa.gov, Managed Lands, Land Transactions, Dabob Bay Inter-Trust Land Exchange.

 

Attendance at this meeting is not required to testify regarding this exchange, and written testimony is equivalent to in-person verbal testimony. DNR encourages written testimony from interested parties.

 

State Forest Land Trust to Common School Trust: Secs. 13, 22, 26, 27, 34, 35, T27N, R1W, W.M., Sec. 3, T26N, R1W, W.M., Jefferson County, Washington; comprising 820 acres, more or less.

 

Common School Trust to State Forest Land Trust: Sec. 8, T30N, R1W, W.M., Secs. 13, 24, T30N, R2W, W.M., Secs. 12, 36, T28N, R2W, W.M., Secs. 16, 33, 34, T28N, R1W, W.M., Sec. 7, T28N, R1E, W.M., Secs. 15, 16, T27N, R2W, W.M., Secs. 26, 35, T27N, R1W, W.M., Secs. 16, 33, T26N, R1W, W.M., Jefferson County, Washington; comprising 2,300 acres, more or less.

 

Maps of the parcels are available here.

 

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Kenny Ocker

Communications Manager

360-810-1217

kenny.ocker@dnr.wa.gov