Three years ago, Vendovi Island was put up for auction. As the most pristine large island under single ownership in the entire San Juan archipelago, conservationists had long targeted Vendovi as a priority for protection. Upon learning of its pending sale, the San Juan Preservation Trust set out to build a partnership with other non-profits and government agencies to participate in the auction. Our requests were politely but swiftly rebuffed (“not enough time” and “too big of a risk” they all told us). Recognizing that this was an opportunity for the ages, our board of trustees pushed fear aside and took a bold (and unprecedented) risk by borrowing $3.4 million to purchase the island for $6.4 million.

We anticipated that raising money to pay off a loan would be a challenging task. We developed a contingency plan that involved re-selling the island with some conservation protection, an action that we knew would preclude public access. We understood that our task had to include an introduction to a remote place that few of our donors had ever seen or even heard about. This was not another Turtleback Mountain.

A local island family then stepped up with an offer to help. To inspire fellow islanders to give, they challenged us with a three-year, $1.0 million challenge grant. As we’ve introduced people to this remote and mysterious island, we have been gratified by the response. So far over 350 households have generously supported the Campaign to Save Vendovi Island, and many of these contributors have made multiple gifts. We are pleased to announce that we have successfully met the requirements of the $1.0 million challenge grant and have reduced the outstanding loan balance from $3.4 to $1.3 million.