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Click here to view the most recently adopted interim prairie ordinance. This ordinance has been included in the draft Critical Areas Ordinance update, which is currently under review by the Board of County Commissioners.
Background
On July 28, 2009 the Thurston County Board of Commissioners temporarily changed regulations to better protect prairies and oak woodlands until permanent regulations could be brought forward with the Critical Areas Update. Those changes were enacted through an interim ordinance, Ordinance 14260. This ordinance was renewed, and amended, in 2010 through Ordinance 14380. It was renewed again on Jan. 25, 2011 through Ordinance 14478 and on July 26, 2011 through Ordinance 14542.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has provided grant funding to continue Thurston County's prairie conservation work.
What Were the Major Changes Enacted in 2009 (and renewed in 2010 & 2011)?
A prairie or Oregon white oak habitat area can be as small as one
acre and still be classified as “important habitat.” Areas less than one
acre in size may also be included if they are functionally related and
have prairie characteristics. (The previous regulations exclude prairies
and oak habitat areas that are five acres or less.)Changes Made During the 2010 Renewal (and renewed in 2011)
The renewal ordinance
(Ordinance No. 14380)
approved in 2010 included three amendments, which were upheld in renewal ordinances (Ordinance No. 14478
and Ordinance 14542) approved in 2011:
1. One amendment addressed an issue in the existing Critical Areas Ordinance that that required
commercial and industrial applications to obtain a Reasonable Use
Exception, even in areas that are up to six-hundred (600) feet outside
of prairie and oak habitat. This change did not permit industrial and commercial uses outright
within a prairie or oak woodland habitat area, but it did clarify that
those uses require a habitat management plan be prepared consistent with
other uses listed in the Critical Areas Ordinance.
2. Another amendment updated the areas covered by the ordinance in
Table 13-Prairie Soils by removing some soils from the ordinance’s list
of prairie soils. These exclusions were based on guidance from US Fish
and Wildlife and were
primarily areas containing steeper slopes and fluvial (river- and
streambed) surfaces, where prairie habitat is rarely found.
3. The third amendment increased the exemptions in the ordinance to include small
lots that contain prairie soil but that are unlikely to contain prairie
habitat due to their size and the nature of surrounding development.
Changes Made During the July 2011 Renewal - Agricultural Uses
Thurston County commissioners exempted agricultural uses from the interim prairie regulations when they approved Ordinance 14542 in July 2011. This provision will allow Thurston County time to assess the available options under a new law that went into effect in July through Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1886. The new law is the result of a four-year-process by the Ruckelshaus Center to address agricultural uses and critical areas regulations.
On July 7, 2011 the Thurston County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing to take testimony on an extension of the interim prairie ordinance. Due to significant public interest in this topic, the County is posting a number highly requested documents below:
Thurston County Commissioners renewed the interim prairie ordinance for another six months on July 26, 2011, and included a provision to exempt agricultural uses. Click here for details.
Contact Us
Interested Parties: If you would like to be added to our Web Mail list, please click here. Staff contact: Andrew Deffobis, Associate Planner. Phone: (360) 754-3355, ext. 5467. E-mail: deffoba@co.thurston.wa.us.
This page last updated:
Interim Prairie and Oak Woodlands Conservation Ordinance