Many of you might have received our Annual Membership Activation letter in the mail. As a reminder—or for those who didn’t get the mailing—here’s the letter from Angela in electronic form:
Dear Island Community,
Our islands hold many natural wonders. The coastline outshines them all.
Beautiful bays. Dramatic bluffs. Pristine beaches. We have so much shoreline to enjoy. And yet, we seem to have so little of it. On one of the largest of the San Juan islands, 87 percent of the coast is privately owned and off limits to most of us.
Executive Director Angela Anderson, her father, and daughter en route to Vendovi Island Preserve earlier this year | Michael Noonan
As a guardian of these islands, we know how precious the coastline is to our future. The slender band of land that surrounds us is a haven for wildlife. It’s also where many of us meet nature for the first time. As a young girl growing up in Tacoma, I didn’t turn into a lifelong conservationist by accident. It happened because my parents took me regularly to the local beach—where I ran across wet sand, searched for buried treasure, and began an adventure in nature that’s still unfolding.
I’m thinking about our coastline a lot these days. Waterfront property prices are skyrocketing across the archipelago. So is demand for places we’d love to protect one day and open up to everyone. Magical places that straddle two worlds … that can pull us in and drop us down on a different path.
Today, if you can, please think seriously about joining our membership or renewing your wonderful support for our work. Because you’re doing far more than protecting our shoreline and other precious landscapes. You’re also inspiring people, shaping their attitudes and building the next wave of visionary defenders of these magical islands.
With your donation, you give us the power to take on the next project that needs us.
There’s one place on our radar—a significant coastal property that could make life in the islands even more extraordinary. I wish I could tell you more about this special place. But while it’s too early for details, it’s not too soon for dreams and for the support that drives everything we do for our landscapes, from restoring a disturbed meadow to deciding a better fate for a threatened property. Thank you for all you do and for everything we will achieve together through your continued support.
Sincerely,
Angela Anderson
Executive Director
P.S. Everyone in our community deserves to experience our breathtaking coastline. Help us protect and restore more of our natural wonders forever and for everyone.