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‘Year of the Rural’ update: conservation groups urge Kitsap to protect farmland as parcel sizes shrink
Summary
Kitsap County long-range planners and the Kitsap Conservation District briefed the planning commission on farmland preservation, mapping and outreach for the Year of the Rural project, saying the county has lost roughly 15,000 acres of farmland in two decades and recommending zoning, conservation easements and other tools to retain working lands.
Long-range planner Heather Cleveland presented an update on the Year of the Rural project to the Kitsap County Planning Commission on May 6 and introduced a farmland-preservation briefing by Diane Fish of the Kitsap Conservation District and the Kitsap Farmland Preservation Coalition.
Fish summarized farmland history in Kitsap County, described partner conservation projects and said the coalition’s analysis shows substantial farmland loss and conversion over recent decades. She urged decision-makers to evaluate land-use and policy proposals through a farmland-preservation lens during the Year of the Rural.
Fish and staff cited data from historical county records and the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture. Fish said Kitsap contains roughly 8,800 acres of prime farmland (16,000 acres if drained), 68,592 acres of prime farmland if irrigated, and 89,336 acres designated farmland of statewide importance; the…
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