Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you! Before reaching out, take a quick look at our FAQs below for fast answers to common questions. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please send us a message using the form below.
Mailing Address
San Juan Preservation Trust
PO Box 759
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-2461
Primary Office
San Juan Preservation Trust
315 Court St.
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-2461
Office hours: By appointment
Frequently Asked Questions:
No. The San Juan Preservation Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit land trust organization that receives no direct tax revenue and depends on private contributions. The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is a voter-approved organization that is funded primarily by a 1% real estate excise tax (REET) paid by purchasers of property in San Juan County. Both entities protect properties through acquisition for conservation purposes AND both organizations frequently partner to achieve common goals and maximize resources. To date, the two organizations have collaborated on some 27 conservation projects, including Turtleback Mountain and North Shore Preserve on Orcas; key portions of Watmough Bay on Lopez; Point Disney on Waldron; and Mount Grant, Beaverton Marsh, and Zylstra Lake on San Juan.
Yes! We have several informational documents that can be downloaded from our website. Below are resources for two categories of land conservation:
Inquiry Packet – Donated Conservation Easement:
- Land Trust Alliance (LTA) Conservation Easement Tax Incentive Brochure
- LTA Conservation Options – Landowner’s Guide
- LTA Conservation Options – 7th-Edition
- SJPT Conservation Easement Donation Information
- Steps to Granting a Conservation Easement
- SJPT Stewardship Fund Policy
Inquiry Packet – Donated Fee Title Acquisition:
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust, such as SJPT, or another qualified entity, that permanently protects its conservation values by limiting the opportunity for development. It allows landowners to continue to own and use their land, and they can also sell it or pass it on to heirs.
As of 2025, the Preservation Trust owns 3,800 acres of land in San Juan and Skagit Counties. While most of the land is undeveloped and primarily managed as nature preserves, we also own three working farms. Additionally, we’ve protected 15,200 acres through conservation easements spanning San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties.
Yes, but how much we pay depends on the classification of the land. For working lands, (such as the three ranches SJPT owns and leases), we pay the same amount as other farmers in the Open Space Ag program. Lands classified by the state as nature preserves are tax-exempt, provided there are no structures. If a property contains structures, its tax status depends on how those buildings are used.
No. A Cost of Community Services analysis conducted by the American Farmland Trust and USDA concluded that undeveloped properties are not a financial drain. Because open space land requires minimal public infrastructure and emergency services—or as rural planners often put it, “cows don’t call 911″—it costs counties far less to maintain. Developed properties, on the other hand, consume more county services than they pay for with property taxes.
Our analysis shows that no areas across the islands are nearing maximum zoning capacity. Because significant buildable capacity remains, new construction can continue to absorb market demand and relieve pricing pressure on existing housing stock.
The Preservation Trust owns nearly 1,000 acres of farmland in San Juan County which is currently leased out to three ranchers. In addition, another 1,400 acres of active, producing farmland in San Juan and Skagit counties are permanently protected from development by conservation easements. The Preservation Trust cannot affect the economics of farming in the islands, but we can, and do, make sure that agricultural land is available now and into the future.
The San Juan Preservation Trust’s primary mission is to conserve and care for the vital ecosystems of the San Juan Islands. While some properties in our care have been purchased by SJPT and become preserves, most properties in our care have been donated by conservation-minded landowners. In the rare instances where we purchase properties, the process can take several years to raise funds, and we cannot quickly buy properties that “come on the market.”
The process for granting a donated conservation easement “typically” takes one to two years. Since every property is unique, the due diligence required to process a conservation easement can vary significantly. In addition, at any given time, our current project commitments and funding availability can significantly impact our ability to take on new conservation easement projects.
The steps required for landowners to grant a conservation easement to the San Juan Preservation Trust are detailed in this downloadable document.
The San Juan Preservation Trust may accept the donation of non-conservation real property. Donations of non-conservation real property are typically sold with the proceeds used to further SJPT’s conservation mission.
The San Juan Preservation Trust follows its Strategic Conservation Plan (SCP) as a first step in evaluating the conservation values of a property. The SCP is a comprehensive conservation analysis of the San Juan Islands and identifies priority protection areas. SJPT also takes into consideration many other factors when making a conservation easement decision, such as open space, undeveloped shoreline, agricultural, wetlands, wildlife habitats, scenic views, old growth forest, and adjacency to other protected lands, to name a few.
The San Juan Preservation Trust follows its Strategic Conservation Plan (SCP) as a first step in evaluating the conservation values of a property. The SCP is a comprehensive conservation analysis of the San Juan Islands and identifies priority protection areas. SJPT also takes into consideration many other factors when making a conservation acquisition decision, such as open space, undeveloped shoreline, agricultural, wetlands, wildlife habitats, scenic views, old growth forest, and adjacency to other protected lands, to name a few. Additionally, SJPT must determine whether there are sufficient funding resources available to purchase a specific property.
Yes, there may be federal tax benefits to donating a conservation easement to the San Juan Preservation Trust. In December of 2015 Congress made permanent a federal tax incentive for conservation easement donations. There are also federal tax implications for the donation of fee-title property. As an accredited land trust bound by high ethical standards, the San Juan Preservation Trust does not provide landowners with any tax or legal advice. SJPT encourages all landowners to seek their own professional legal and tax advice before making any decisions regarding their property.
Yes. The San Juan Preservation Trust follows all county and/or state rules and requirements for specific land designations. The best source of information relative to land use designations, or changes to land use designations, is the San Juan County website.
No, the San Juan Preservation Trust does not provide landowners tax or legal advice. SJPT encourages all landowners to seek their own professional legal and tax advice before making any decisions regarding their property.
