HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Action Aug 6 2025Whatcom County
Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
10:45 AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING - MAY BEGIN EARLY - ADJOURNS BY 11:10 A.M.
(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT
www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Kaylee Galloway
Mark Stremler
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final August 6, 2025
Resources Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 10:46
a.m. in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 2 - Kaylee Galloway, and Mark Stremler
Absent: 1 - Todd Donovan
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas, and Jon Scanlon
Announcements
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB2025-565 Resolution authorizing the Whatcom County Conservation Easement Program staff
and Whatcom County Executive to proceed with the acquisition of conservation
easements on four properties
The following people read from a presentation (on file) on the rise in
easement applications since the addition of staff and the subsequent need
for more local funding, updates from the Conservation Easement Program
Oversight Committee (CEPOC), an overview of two funding sources
(beyond Conservation Futures funds) that the program has been able to
secure, the four properties they are currently working with on conservation
easements, the portion of local dollars that would be required, and the
proposed resolution for Council approval to proceed with the easement
acquisitions on those four properties:
• Alexander Harris, Planning and Development Department
• Paul Schissler, Conservation Easement Program Oversight
Committee Chair
Councilmembers and Harris discussed how they determine the value of
each easement, that the easements will get an appraisal after approval so the
values shared today for each of them are estimates, whether there is a
minimum score that is needed for the committee to make a
recommendation for conservation easements like with open space, whether
they are trying to target areas in the Middle Fork and North Fork, that there
is more interest in the program than there historically has been, and about
the scenario of the easement on the Middle Fork property (around streams
or buffer area) that can still be farmed.
Galloway moved that the Resolution be RECOMMENDED FOR
"atcom County Page I
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final
Resources Committee
APPROVAL. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 2 - Galloway, and Stremler
Nay: 0
Absent: 1 - Donovan
Items Added by Revision
There were no agenda items added by revision.
Other Business
Adjournment
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 11:14 a.m.
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August 6, 2025
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Kaylee Galloway -via email 8/18/2025
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
9%afcom County Page 2
Kaylee Galloway, Committee Chair