Woelfel Conservation Easement

Orcas Island

Wanting to protect a stand of second-growth timber prior to putting her 5-acre plot of land on Orcas Island up for sale, Monica Woelfel donated a conservation easement to the San Juan Preservation Trust.  Under the terms of the conservation easement, one home can be built on the property but must be sited within a specific building envelope that keeps the forest largely intact and the home out of view of the road.  Even when properties are developed for residential use, careful home siting and “clustering” of homes protect the ecological values of the property and enhance wildlife habitat by creating larger corridors for movement.