The King County Conservation Futures Advisory Committee recommended $108.7 million in conservation funding for projects across the county, the committee reported to the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee. The recommendation packages $95,000,000 from the Conservation Futures Trust (CFT) and $13,800,000 in county parks-levy open-space match funding to support land purchases and easements across municipalities and unincorporated areas.

The committee received 64 applications requesting about $137,000,000 and recommended funding for a broad slate of city, nonprofit and county projects that preserve shoreline, forest, farmland, trails and parks. The recommended projects cited in committee briefing materials include municipal and county acquisitions such as an 18‑acre Seuss Creek Botanical Garden in Auburn; a final‑phase acquisition to complete Coal Creek holdings in Bellevue; creation of a new waterfront park on Lake Sammamish in Bellevue; expansion of Wootton Park in Des Moines by 16 acres; a 4‑acre inholding for Clark Lake Park in Kent; several Kirkland green‑loop parcels and a cross‑Kirkland corridor parcel; Powell’s Wood Botanical Garden easement in Federal Way; and a 56‑acre unarmored marine shoreline protection project on Vashon Island in partnership with the Vashon Maury Land Trust.

County-led projects recommended for funding include inholdings at the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural Area (about 55 acres), conservation easements for state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) partnership parcels at West Tiger Mountain (about 150 acres), acquisition of a 39‑acre Tuck Creek parcel, and final funding to establish a roughly 300‑acre park near Ames Lake. The committee also recommended a grant to the Black Farmers Collective to buy permanent farmland for community growing and farmer training programs.

CFT staff said the Land Conservation Initiative and recent park levy provisions helped accelerate acquisition capacity and reduce match requirements for priority projects. The advisory committee noted that new tools such as reduced match requirements, equity opportunity area prioritization and funding for site stabilization have increased applicants’ ability to complete permanent protections.

The committee’s chair, Catherine Gockel, thanked volunteers and staff and noted the geographic spread of recommended projects from Skykomish and Snoqualmie Pass to Vashon Island and Pacific. Committee staff said they notify tribes and offer briefings during the grant round; staff told the committee they coordinate with Snoqualmie, Tulalip and Muckleshoot tribes among others on rural acquisitions and will follow up on any site‑specific tribal coordination requests.

No committee vote was required in the briefing; the recommendations will inform budget and council action later in the process.