Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
During the public comment portion of a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 28, TJ Johnson, Chair of the Thurston Conservation District (TCD) Board of Supervisors, highlighted the work the organization has done county-wide for 75 years, and sought partnership with the City of Yelm.
For over seven decades, Johnston said that TCD has been working with private land owners to identify solutions to environmental concerns and to encourage and support voluntary stewardship to make Thurston County a better place to live.
He said the organization is non-regulatory, and they bring funding, political advocacy, community trust and more to help local jurisdictions and property owners meet their visions and goals.
“Our base funding is provided through a rates and charges system, paid by almost all property owners in Thurston County. There’s a few in Yelm who don’t (pay),” Johnson said. “Rates and charges bring in about $565,000 a year. We use this money to leverage state and other resources. Our total budget this year is $9.7 million.”
According to Johnson, only 6% of TCD’s funding comes from the county. He claimed everything else — the remaining 94% — is money they’re bringing into the community to solve local conservation issues.
“This is by far the largest budget in our history. These funds will result in unprecedented positive impacts on our shared goals of regional conservation and environmental priorities. Last year, we worked with our local jurisdictions, residents and local partners to develop a new strategic plan, which we call ‘2040 and Beyond.”’
Johnson described “2040 and Beyond” as an aggressive and ambitious plan — adding that it “has to be” given the urgency of the issues faced within Thurston County.
He said those issues include: rapidly decreasing farmland, forests and habitats; threatened and destroyed watersheds and marine ecosystems; and disaster events and the accelerating impacts of climate change
“This plan is about acting now to avoid irreversible loss in the future,”Johnson said. “The plan is grounded in four strategic priorities. One: protect and restore natural resources. Two: building climate resilience and preparing for disasters. Three: expanding access and community connections to land and food. Four: we’re committed to leading these efforts with strong partnerships and internal organizational excellence at our organization.”
Johnson specified that TCD is sharing this information with every jurisdiction in Thurston County. The information is shared in an effort to align land use policies, conservation strategies, development of climate and watershed solutions to preserve farmland, expand local food production capacity, expand community access and education, and continue to leverage funding “as much as they can” to solve local issues.
“This plan isn’t just a set of conservation programs. It’s really about building a new culture where conservation is a shared way of life in Thurston County,” Johnson said. “We’re all a part of a solution. We’re ready to lead that effort. Our organization is positioned to do that, but we can only do it with community support. We’re just asking you to be our partner. Let’s work together and solve problems to keep this a great place to live.”
