Using funds from the IAC Farmland Preservation Account, Okanogan County would like to purchase a conservation easement on 203 acres of the Lehman farm in the Methow Valley. The farm contains prime agricultural soils where alfalfa, corn and hay have been grown for over 100 years. In addition the farm borders the Methow River for 3/4 mile, it provides important habitat for salmonid fish, deer, bald eagles and numerous other wildlife species and it contributes to the scenic corridor along State Highway 20 between the towns of Winthrop and Twisp. No homes are currently built on the property, but under current zoning, this farm could be developed in up to 40 separate homesites. The proposed conservation easement will permanently limit future development to 2 homesites. Without conservation easement protection, it is likely that the Lehman family would be forced to sell part or all of their farm. This project is part of a farmland protection partnership with the Methow Conservancy, a land trust that is working to protect vital farmland between the towns of Winthrop and Twisp. Over the past 10 years, the Methow Conservancy has protected 30% of the vital farmland in this corridor with conservation easements. The agreement between Okanogan County and the Methow Conservancy to work together to pursue funding for the Lehman Farm Protection Project is important and precedent-setting throughout north-central Washington.