Helsell Conservation Easement

Orcas Island

Located near the Preservation Trust’s Turtlehead Preserve, the Helsell property hosts a sprawling native forest rising from the western shores of Orcas Island. It is unusual to discover such an immense and largely untouched landscape on a popular island.

The Helsell family donated a conservation easement on their forestland to ensure it retains its aesthetic and ecological value. The Helsell property has provided timber for a family-operated sawmill for many years, and this conservation easement allows selective logging to maintain this important economic activity.