OLYMPIA — Two 40-acre parcels of East Jefferson County trust lands are included in a proposed land exchange for which a public hearing is set for Thursday, Nov. 14, and public comment will be taken through Nov. 22.
The proposal is for an inter-trust exchange of state Department of Natural Resources-managed trust lands and DNR-managed Land Bank lands.
Under the proposal, up to 1,176 acres of state trust land located in Jefferson, Benton, Klickitat, Okanogan and Spokane counties would be exchanged for up to 1,574 acres of Land Bank property in Benton, Kitsap, Skagit and Snohomish counties.
The purpose of the exchange is to enable the replacement of lands no longer suitable for trust management, DNR said in a press release.
The two East Jefferson County parcels are located near the Hood Canal. One is designated University Original Trust and the other is Common School Trust.
For more information, including maps of the properties, visit www.landbankexchange.
The public hearing will be at 6 p.m. today in Mount Vernon at the Skagit County commissioners’ office, 1800 Continental Place.
DNR is accepting written comments about the proposed land exchange until 5 p.m. Nov. 22.
Comments can be emailed to exchanges@dnr.wa.gov, or mailed to the Department of Natural Resources, Conservation, Recreation and Transactions Division, Attn.: Land Bank Exchange 2019, P.O. Box 47014, Olympia, WA 98504-7014.
If the exchange is approved, DNR will manage the newly designated trust lands to produce revenue for their beneficiaries, and will sell at public auction or directly transfer the properties no longer suitable for trust management.
Proceeds from the sales will be used to purchase productive lands for DNR to manage, DNR said.
