Welcome to Jefferson Land Trust

Jefferson Land Trust is a private, non-profit, grass-roots organization. Our mission is to help the community preserve open space, working lands and habitat in Jefferson County on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.

Learn more about us and the properties we are protecting now and forever, and take a look at our conservation videos.

JEFFERSON LAND TRUST/NNRG/SHOREBANK CARBON SALE By Selden McKee While political and business leaders discuss and negotiate a regulated market for buying and selling carbon credits and offsets, Jefferson Land Trust has put theory into practice by selling the carbon stored in a working forest to a local business in a voluntary business transaction. The sale is the first of its kind in the area and represents a totally different way of generating income from a forest: by not cutting down the trees. Ordinarily a forest is valued for its board feet, but in this trade the value is in the carbon stored in the uncut trees. As a pilot project, this sale of sequestered carbon will serve as a model for other such transactions in the future. The groundbreaking transaction involved two other organizations with a history ... more »

Land Trust Protecting Important Salmon Habitat on Chimacum Creek Over 1,600 feet of stream channel in the lower reaches of Chimacum Creek, and nearly nine acres of mature surrounding forests are now permanently protected for future generations by Jefferson Land Trust. The stream channel provides important habitat for adult and juvenile salmon, and the surrounding native forest helps keep the stream clear and cool. Chimacum Creek is home to coho salmon, which spawn in the upper reaches of the watershed and spend a year as juveniles before going out to sea, and is home to the endangered summer chum salmon, which spawn in the lower sections. This acquisition was made possible by the vision of the previous landowners, and a competitive grant through the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Most of the newly protected area was owned by ... more »

Farmland Preservation Grant Awarded for FinnRiver Farm Jefferson Land Trust has spearheaded a successful effort to apply for a $203,500 Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program Farmland Preservation grant awarded to project lead Jefferson County. This grant will help buy a conservation easement on FinnRiver Farm in Chimacum. FinnRiver, a 33-acre organic farm, is regionally known for its berries and vegetables. Farm owners have planted more than 900 apple and pear trees and are in the process of establishing an artisan-scale winery and cider production facility. The farm’s conservation values include prime agricultural soils, about one-quarter mile of Chimacum Creek, scenic vistas, and habitat for salmon, beaver, trumpeter swans, bear, eagles, hawks, and many other animals. The conservation easement to be purchased with gra ... more »