HomeMy WebLinkAboutADDITIONAL Business: TLT Support Letter
Phone (360) 385-9100 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us
Board of County Commissioners
1820 Jefferson Street
PO Box 1220
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Heather Dudley-Nollette, District 1 Heidi Eisenhour, District 2 Greg Brotherton, District 3
October 12, 2026
Governor Bob Ferguson
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Dear Governor Ferguson,
The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners is writing to request that you include $30
million in your 2027-2029 biennial capital budget proposal for DNR’s trust land transfer (TLT)
program. The Board of Natural Resources (BNR) approved this budget cycle’s priority project list
and the budget request at its September 1, 2026, meeting.
TLT is a conservation tool that is used to reposition under-performing state trust land to be
managed instead for its ecological and public benefits. The Legislature provides funding for the
value of the land and timber and DNR uses that revenue to purchase more financially suitable
replacement lands for trust beneficiaries. While it has a complex structure, the benefits are
significant for communities around the state.
Jefferson County’s Dabob Bay Trust Land Transfer Project proposal ranked second highest. It is an
incredibly important project for our community. It will help conserve 1096 acres of ecologically
important forested areas around pristine but fragile Dabob Bay. In addition, the appropriated funds
will be used to acquire working forest lands more suitable for logging to benefit the underlying trust
beneficiaries such as the County, Quilcene School District, Quilcene Fire, etc. The acquired
working forest lands will generate revenue over time for the beneficiaries.
Since its inception in 1989, the TLT program has preserved more than 125,000 acres of state trust
land for fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, education, and other community uses. Some of the
state’s most treasured places like Mt. Si, Blanchard Mountain, and Deception Pass State Park have
benefitted from TLT.
Projects under consideration for the 2027-2029 biennial capital budget
In your budget proposal, we hope you include the full prioritized list approved by the Board of
Natural Resources:
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Project Name Recipient County Size Estimated
value
1 Elger Bay Island County Island 173 acres $600,000
2 Dabob Bay A DNR Natural
Areas
Jefferson 1,096 acres $10,750,000
3 Babcock Bench WDFW Grant 1,071 acres $10,650,000
4 Toutle Ridge
Fen
DNR Natural
Areas
Cowlitz 174 acres $1,100,000
5 Thorpe City of Spokane Spokane 199 acres $3,910,000
6 Tract C Yakama Nation Yakima A portion of 10,420
acres*
$2,990,000
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
___________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Heather Dudley-Nollette, Dist. 1 Heidi Eisenhour, Dist. 2 Greg Brotherton, Dist. 3- Chair