The Board of Lewis County Commissioners approved a proposal to accept a grant and approve an interlocal agreement with the Lewis County Conservation District that would allow the county to implement the state’s Voluntary Stewardship Program for critical areas.
The Washington State Conservation Commission will provide up to $220,000 in reimbursement for the 2017-19 biennium for planning and implementation of the program, according to documents provided to the commission.
Lewis County opted in to Washington State’s Voluntary Stewardship Program, which helps counties work with landowners to identify and protect critical areas, including those on agricultural land, as required by the state’s Growth Management Act, in 2011.
The program was created in that year to give counties another option, besides regulation, to protect critical areas using local watershed plans and voluntary programs, according to the Washington State Conservation Commission.
“VSP provides a unique, grassroots opportunity to establish regulatory certainty for the agricultural operators in Lewis County critical areas,” states a resolution approved Monday by the Lewis County Board of Commissioners.
The commission also approved an interlocal agreement with the Lewis County Conservation District, allowing the county and district to work together to develop the local VSP plan.
