The Voluntary Stewardship Program is a county-led alternative to regulation. Counties develop locally led work plans that use voluntary and incentive based tools to protect critical areas while keeping agriculture viable. Local stakeholders worked together to develop these work plans, monitor progress, and report the results. Under the Voluntary Stewardship Program, Walla Walla County can fulfill Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requirements for protecting critical areas while maintaining the viability of agriculture.

Walla Walla County opted into VSP in 2012 and in 2016 the legislature fully funded the program for the entire state. The county elected to have the Walla Walla County Conservation District direct the program. The VSP process calls for a local Watershed Work Group to guide the development of the county work plan. Our Work Group has representatives from the agriculture community (including livestock), tribal and environmental representatives, and other stakeholders. The county work plan includes, among other things, a list of the critical areas subject to VSP, an outreach plan, and benchmarks or goals for the county.

Please go to the Resources page on the website to see more details about the Walla Walla VSP Work Plan.

Participation in VSP is easy and vitally important if ag. producers want to avoid the one-size-fits-all regulations of the Critical Areas Ordinance.

To enroll in VSP, contact the Walla Walla County Conservation District and arrange a meeting time that works for you. District staff use county maps to show producers the critical areas on their property. Using the VSP checklist, a technician will list the conservation practices already being implemented and identify additional practices to further protect the areas. The District can help find cost share opportunities that might be available to implement new conservation practices.

NEW! You can check out the critical areas on your property at this map!

It is important to note that the conservation practices being implemented will be tallied in an aggregate fashion, not by individual landowner, because under VSP, protection and progress are measured on a county-wide basis. No personal identifying information is ever reported without express permission of the landowner.

There are five types of critical areas:
- Wetlands
- Critical aquifer recharge areas
- Frequently flooded areas
- Geologically hazardous areas
- Fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas

*All Walla Walla County Conservation District programs require sign-up to a waitlist. As program funding becomes available, those on the waitlist will be contacted to move forward with their project.*