OLYMPIA – Thurston County has opened a second round of Conservation Futures funding for 2023. The County is seeking qualified projects to apply, with an application deadline of 5 p.m. on Friday, September 15, 2023. This is a great opportunity for landowners who wish for their land to remain undeveloped but would like the financial benefits of selling their property. 

Conservation Futures is a land preservation program that allows landowners to sell their property or future development rights to a qualified conservation organization. To be eligible, a property must contain unique or valuable wildlife habitat, agricultural, forestry, historic, or recreational features. Applications must be sponsored by an eligible organization such as a land trust or city government.

For more information or to download the application: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/incentives-conservation-futures.aspx

How to Apply

 Complete the application and submit:

• Submit via email: andrew.deffobis@co.thurston.wa.us 
• Submit in person: Board of County Commissioners Office, Suite 200 of the Atrium Building, 3000 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia 
• Submit via mail: Thurston County, ATTN: Andrew Deffobis, CPED, 3000 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia, WA 98501 

The program is made possible by a Conservation Futures tax levy first authorized by the legislature statewide in 1971. Thurston County began collecting the tax levy in 1989 and uses these funds to make conservation purchases, resulting in over 5,600 acres of preserved farmland, historic sites, recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat.