County launches grant-funded net ecological-gain framework to track landscape-scale outcomes

CPAD Director Ashley Rice and staff outlined a grant-funded project to develop a county-scale framework for "net ecological gain," a ledger-style system for tracking ecosystem debits (development impacts) and credits (restoration, operations, redevelopment) across watersheds.

Rice said the project builds on existing programs and a nearly $500,000 grant from the Department of Commerce's Salmon Recovery and Local Planning program (Climate Commitment Act funds). The initiative will inventory ecological functions and values (wetlands, tree canopy, groundwater, salmon habitat), test measurable metrics on the ground, and design a monitoring and reporting approach to determine whether the county is gaining or losing ecological function over time.

Senior staff described the proposal as a framework rather than an immediate regulatory change. "This project is to create a framework for net ecological gain," a CPAD presenter said, adding that the work will include stakeholders, the conservation district, and state partners and will scale at watershed boundaries. Staff described using debits-and-credits accounting, "coupons" for operational practices, and credits for restoration and redevelopment outcomes.

The grant-funded work will include on-the-ground testing, stakeholder engagement, and a report to the Department of Commerce due in June 2027. Staff said the tool could help the county evaluate trade-offs (for example, development regulation changes versus increased restoration investments) and inform future critical-areas code and shoreline-program updates.