expireWashington and Alaska News Bulletin, Spring 2001

Bob Engle still works the family farmland Photo by: David Medley

Historic Farmland Protected at Ebey's Landing

William Engle emigrated to the Oregon Territory in the early 1850s. Taking advantage of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, he staked out prime land on the slopes of Whidbey Island overlooking Puget Sound in 1852. Nearly 150 years and five generations later, his descendants will continue working this land, located within Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, despite financial setbacks that could have resulted in the property being subdivided and developed.

In October 2000, the Trust for Public Land purchased the Engle Farm properties (six noncontiguous parcels totaling 414 acres). Several of the properties have fabulous views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, and some are home to farmhouses and barns listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These lands have long been high-priority acquisitions for the Trust Board of Ebey's Landing and the National Park Service.

Conservation easements over two parcels totaling 110 acres were conveyed directly to the National Park Service in October. Using nearly $2.4 million in privately raised funds, TPL purchased and held the remaining 300-plus acres, including the main dairy operation. In December, TPL conveyed all but a final 113-acre parcel to the National Park Service, which acquired the land with an appropriation from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The support of Washington's congressional delegation, especially former Senator Slade Gorton, was critical to this effort.

The last parcel, which is located on Crockett Prairie and commands wonderful views of Crockett Lake and Keystone Spit, will be protected through the National Park Service's purchase of a conservation easement over the land. This spring TPL will begin selling this working farm property on the private market, subject to restrictions under the easement.

Photo by: Ernest Braun

The Engle family was one of the original pioneer families to settle at Ebey's Landing and has farmed these prairie lands for generations. Preserving the family's agricultural lifestyle was a top concern of all involved. "The Engle family will still own much of the farmland," says Rob Harbour of the Trust Board of Ebey's Landing, the group (composed of representatives from the National Historic Farmland Protected Park Service, Washington State Parks, Island County, and the town of Coupeville) that manages the reserve. "They will continue to raise cattle; grow beets, grain, and seed crops; and carry on with the work of a family farm. The land will remain largely as it is now and has been for many years--some of the most scenic, superior farmland in the Northwest."

TPL initially approached the family in 1995 about purchasing a conservation easement over several of the properties, knowing that this family farm was unfortunately not immune to the challenges of the declining dairy industry. In 1998, after struggling financially for some years, Engle Farms completed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan and began liquidating assets to pay off creditors. Rather than sell off their holdings piecemeal and set up a situation that would make the land ripe for subdivision and development, the Engle family agreed in March 1999 to enter into a purchase-and-sale agreement with TPL.

Because of the amount required to pay off the farm debt, TPL needed to purchase the majority of the land in fee (versus the more traditional Ebey's Landing acquisition tool of conservation easements). The agreement also allowed TPL to purchase conservation easements over two very scenic and significant parcels. The conservation easements are being held by the National Park Service, while the Engles continue to own and manage the land. Working with the National Park Service to purchase most of the property outright generated the greatest amount of payoff to the creditors while ensuring permanent protection of the land.

Preserving the Engle Farm properties, with their stunning views, fantastic hikes and historical significance, is a victory for the residents of and visitors to Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. It is also a hopeful example of partnerships working creatively to keep family farms in productive use.

Partnership Protects Alaska Wilderness Inholding

Many consider the West Chichagof/Yakobi Island Wilderness Area in southeast Alaska to be among the most scenic and exciting places of this part of the state. Reachable only by boat or float plane, this island has been a favorite spot for fishers, hunters, hikers, and campers for many years.

One of the most popular ways to get to the wilderness area from Lisianski Strait is by docking at a pier remaining from a defunct mining operation, then traveling up through an area known as Bohemia Basin to the wilderness area's entrance. Until recently, this path was strewn with abandoned equipment and material from the mining operations, which ended well over a decade ago.

Working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy of Alaska (TNC), the Goldman Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, the nearby town of Pelican, and the landowner, TPL was able to buy the patented mining claims and donate them to the Tongass National Forest. TPL also facilitated cleaning up the abandoned mining operations, and transferring the lease of the pier to the town of Pelican, which will maintain it as a publicly accessible dock. The purchase was funded by TNC using a grant from the Goldman Foundation.

Photo by: Gary Wessels

Yowkwala Preserve Created on Commencement Bay

In October of last year, TPL conveyed a 15-acre property on the north shore of Commencement Bay in Tacoma, formerly owned by the Oline family, to the Puyallup Tribe for use as a nature preserve. The tribe has designated the site the Yowkwala Preserve--yowkwala is the Puyallup word for eagle.

The site includes bluffs, beach, and tidelands. Most significantly, the tidelands contain eelgrass beds, important habitat for juvenile salmonids, which seek protection from predators in eelgrass as they adjust to the marine environment.

The Oline site was one of the top priorities targeted for acquisition by the Commencement Bay Natural Resource and Damage Assessment Trustees. This multi-agency group administers mitigation funds for the acquisition and restoration of fish and wildlife habitat in the bay.

Working with these agencies, TPL negotiated with the landowners for 18 months before purchasing the property in January 2000. TPL then oversaw the demolition and removal of two derelict barges that negatively impacted the property's tidal area. This work and subsequent environmental quality reviews took nearly nine months to complete. TPL was able to hold the property for this period using funds from a bequest from the estate of Elizabeth Read, a longtime resident of Pierce County who left a gift to TPL to help protect saltwater properties.

The property was then transferred to the Puyallup Tribe using mitigation funds provided by the trustees. This project is one of many ways that the tribe and other groups are working in the Commencement Bay area with the hope of seeing healthy salmon runs return to this region.

Photo by: Sandra Tassell

Deadline Met to Save Arrowleaf

A significant chapter in the longest-running and highest-profile land use dispute in Washington has ended. Just before press time, TPL was able complete its purchase of the Arrowleaf property: 1,020 acres of critical riparian forest and meadow in the Methow Valley whose fate had been in question for 30 years. Most recently the property was slated for development into 565 residential units and an 18-hole golf course. However, the book will not be closed until TPL is able to secure the permanent financing required to satisfy the roughly $5 million in bridge loans taken out to meet the closing deadline.

Contact TPL project manager Travis Thornton at (206) 587-2447 to learn about the current status of this very important project and how you can help.

"Parks for All" Levy Passes in Seattle

Voters in Seattle have made it clear that they want to keep their city green and clean. On November 7, 2000, citizens passed Proposition 1, creating $198.2 million in new public funds for new parks and open spaces; to maintain and improve existing parks, bike trails, and ballfields; and to improve the Woodland Park Zoo over the next eight years. Dubbed "Parks for All," the proposition reflected the desires of many different constituents--more than 100 projects will be tackled with the new funds.

A group of 26 Seattleites chosen by the mayor and city council drew up the list of projects, based on extensive community meetings to identify the priorities of each neighborhood. Projects range from a trail connecting I-90 to Fourth Avenue South in the Mountains to Sound Greenway, to improving drainage, irrigation, landscaping, trails, and access for the disabled in Kubota Gardens. Some of the projects are eligible for matching funds from state, federal, county, and private sources. For instance, a federal program makes available matching funds for urban trails, and Washington State has a program that matches funds for park and green space acquisitions.

Put on the ballot by Mayor Paul Schell and the Seattle City Council, the proposition had many supporters, including TPL and the TPL Land Action Fund, a new nonprofit affiliate dedicated to lobbying and campaigns for conservation funding, which made a donation to the campaign. The new funding is expected to cost Seattle homeowners approximately 35 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value the first year. In following years, the rate is expected to be just over 33 cents per $1,000. Proposition 1 was one of 54 local and state ballot conservation funding measures TPL worked on in this past election. Thirty-nine of these measures passed, generating $3.3 billion to protect parks and open space.