193 acres of Stanwood farmland to be protected from development

Published 1:30 am Sunday, March 29, 2026

EVERETT — Two conservation easements, announced Monday, will protect 193 acres of productive farmland in the Stillaguamish River flood plain just north of Stanwood.

The adjacent 108-acre and 85-acre parcels were identified as high priority in Snohomish County’s 2019 Resilience Plan, a press release said. Conservation easements are voluntary, legally binding agreements between a land owner and government agency that restrict certain uses.

In this case, they protect the land from being developed and maintain its agricultural use.

Also, protected agricultural land in floodplains helps store and slow floodwaters, filter runoff before it reaches rivers and fish-bearing streams and improves soil health.

The easements were facilitated by Forterra, a land conservation nonprofit, and will be held by Snohomish County. The land is owned by Northwest Territory LLC.

“In general, all of the projects that we work on, it’s voluntary with the landowner,” said Kristi England, Forterra’s chief governance, policy and innovations officer, in an interview Tuesday. “We are oftentimes contacted by the landowner asking for help and support in order to do this.”

Forterra helps landowners secure funding that pays them to protect their land from future development, generally through identifying eligible funding sources and preparing grant applications, England said in an email.

Funding for the easements included $347,626 from Snohomish County’s Conservation Futures program, along with $192,374 from the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, supporting floodplain restoration and resilience through the Washington Department of Ecology’s Floodplains by Design grant program, the release said.

Forterra currently manages more than 100 conservation easements covering over 8,000 acres across the state.

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay