The Nature Conservancy in Washington - Two Decades, One Billion Dollars

Help Protect Washington

There are many ways to give to The Nature Conservancy. We rely on your support to accomplish our ambitious conservation goals.

Take Action

The WWRP budget is currently being considered by the state legislature. You can help by contacting your representatives in Olympia and asking them to be strong supporters of this proven program.

Learn More

Explore projects and histories at the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition Web site.

Visit our public programs page to read fact sheets about the WWRP and other programs we support!

The WWRP has benefitted some of the Conservancy's priority lands in Washington, including the Skagit River, Ellsworth Creek, the South Puget Sound Prairies, and Moses Coulee & Beezley Hills.

Twenty years ago The Nature Conservancy helped launch a state program to fund conservation and recreation across Washington. Today that program is more popular than ever and is a model for other states.

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), our state’s least-known and most successful land-acquisition program, has funded preservation of a staggering 350,000 acres of Washington’s great outdoors.

20 Years of Success

This year the program marks 20 years of continued success, supported by the Legislature’s biennial funding totaling $550 million, with matching grants bringing the total to more than $1 billion. In all, 921 grants have helped build parks, trails and access to water, in addition to purchasing natural habitats and critical areas. More recently, the funds are restoring riparian habitat and preserving farmland.

An Effective Coalition

Under the leadership of The Nature Conservancy, a host of sportsmen’s clubs, county parks departments, the Bullitt Foundation, environmental organizations and state agencies joined to create the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.

The coalition, which today claims 135 members, wrote the legislative bill in 1989 that created the WWRP program, adopted by the legislature and signed by then-Gov. Booth Gardner. The program has translated to dedicated funding for county parks planners, the Department of Natural Resources, State Parks and Washington Fish and Wildlife. A direct result was to make waterways and parks more accessible to the public.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Photo © Joel Rogers (Washington Conservation and Recreation); Photo © TNC (North Eagle Cliff, Cypress Island).