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keeping the farm
in the family
KITTITAS COUNTY’S TRIPLE CREEK RANCH
By Josh Cohen, Media Associate
16
oma and Vernon Stokes are life-long farmers in
R Kittitas County. Their farm, Triple Creek Ranch, has
been in the family for over 80 years, at various times
working as a cattle ranch and growing crops such as
alfalfa, hay and grain. Now, thanks to a longtime effort to
conserve their land, Triple Creek Ranch can continue as a
working farm for generations to come.
“Bringing this project together took longer than we
expected,” said Vernon Stokes. “But we stuck with
Forterra and the process and were ultimately able to
make sure that the farm we love will stay a farm for our
kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.”
In 2007, the Stokes approached Forterra with a
request to help them stave off the constant offers
from developers wanting to subdivide their property
for rural residential development. Forterra agreed to
help, recognizing the importance of Triple Creek Ranch
as a working farm with high quality riparian habitat,
uninterruptible water rights, high water quality, important
wildlife corridors and historic family ownership.
Farms all around Washington face similar struggles as
Triple Creek Ranch. As our population grows, developers
look to build new residential and commercial properties
and farms are often the land on which they aim to build.
Farmers, facing our tough economy, often have little
choice but to sell their land for development. Before
the purchase of the conservation easement, Triple
Creek Ranch was zoned for thirteen 20-acre residential
parcels and it seemed like a very real possibility that land
conversion would have to take place. With the easement
in place, however, development is prohibited on all but
five acres that already have homes built on them.
Conservation easements allow farmers to realize
the development value of their land while retaining
ownership for continued agricultural production. Kitittas
County and Forterra will co-hold the conservation
easement on Triple Creek Ranch and the Stokes family
will continue to be the underlying fee holder.
Roma Stokes said, “We want our family to be able to
enjoy the farm forever. It means the world to us that we
are able to leave this legacy for them.”
As with most successful Forterra projects, the
conservation of this farm took a lot of persistent, hard
work with a variety of partners and stakeholders.
“We are very excited about the successful conservation of
Triple Creek,” said Jill Scheffer, Forterra Senior Managing
Conservation Director. “It was a long process, but we
kept at it and were able to help the Stokes family fulfill
their dream to protect their family farm.”
Triple Creek’s acquisition was completed with grants
from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Farm
and Ranchland Preservation Program and the State
of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office’s
Farmland Preservation program. Both programs are
critical to the future of farming in Washington.
The conservation of Triple Creek Ranch is an important
step forward in Forterra’s mission to conserve 200,000
acres of working farmland in Kittitas County. The work is
guided by The Cascade Agenda, a 100-year vision for the
Central Cascade region’s economies, communities and
lands.
FORTERRA.ORG
Roma and Vernon Stokes. Photo by Jill Arango