The Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) is an optional, incentive-based approach to protecting critical areas while promoting agriculture. The VSP is allowed under the Growth-Management Act as an alternative to traditional approaches to critical areas protection, such as “no touch” buffers. Counties work with local residents to develop a plan to manage growth, protect critical environmental areas, and maintain viable agriculture.
Washington State's Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) was created in 2011 to provide an alternative approach for counties to address Growth Management requirements for agricultural activities.

The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) administers funding for counties to implement the program. Counties then designate a work group to develop a watershed-scale plan that will:
- Identify critical resource concerns.
- Identify agricultural activities in the critical areas.
- Create a plan for targeted outreach to assist landowners in developing farm plans that address agricultural impacts to critical areas on their property.
- Identify and maintain economically viable agriculture while protecting and restoring critical areas

In October 2015, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) worked with the Kittitas County Conservation District to enlist our assistance with facilitation of the Watershed Group. We entered into an inter-local agreement with the County in November. The BOCC passed Resolution 2016-001 in January 2016 designating the Kittitas County Conservation District as the lead entity for the Voluntary Stewardship Program.

There are five critical areas identified in Washington's GMA:
1. Wetlands
2. Frequently flooded areas
3. Critical aquifer recharge areas
4. Geologically hazardous areas
5. Fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas