Island Dispatch | Fall 2022
TURNING THE PAGE ON GLENWOOD
With acquisition behind us, it’s time to celebrate and focus on the work ahead
North Shore property shoreline looking toward Point Doughty | Staff archive
One sunny day in May 2021, I received a phone call from Lincoln Bormann, director of the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank. He was calling to share some news he’d just heard about the potential sale of a large waterfront property on the north shore of Orcas Island known as Glenwood Inn. It was the first time I’d heard of the property—and it would be far from the last!
Little did either Lincoln or I know that the next 16 months (and counting) would be dominated by our joint efforts to acquire and protect this 58-acre parcel and its 1,800 feet of spectacular shoreline for conservation and public enjoyment.
Youth Conservation Corps at Ihiya Preserve | Staff archive
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
As a member of the San Juan Preservation Trust, you fuel our mission. With your support, we are able to preserve the wild and beautiful places we all treasure, now and for the future. Here are just some of the ways you are helping to advance our mission with your membership:
CONSERVE
Over the last five years, we have added more than 1,000 acres to the lands that we will conserve and care for in perpetuity, including a mixed-forest parcel adjacent to Moran State Park on Orcas Island, Zylstra Lake Preserve on San Juan Island, and the Marilyn and Fred Ellis Preserve on Shaw Island. One of the Preservation Trust’s priorities right now is conserving a 142-acre expanse of lowland forest and oak prairie, deep in the heart of San Juan Island. This is one of those special places that will one day become a favorite preserve for future generations.
CARE
From shoreline projects that support salmon recovery to wetland and streamside restoration projects, our staff and volunteers care for the lands that have been entrusted to us. Stewardship of the Ihiya Biological Preserve on San Juan Island sustained the natural environment while providing a safer outdoor experience for visitors.
CONNECT
Through transformative outdoor experiences with youth, our education program continues to build the next generation of land stewards. Local teens recently worked alongside our staff at our preserves on Waldron, San Juan, Orcas, and Shaw Islands to restore habitat and improve trails while absorbing environmental education lessons.
Your membership in the Preservation Trust makes a difference to the places, people, and wildlife that call these islands home, and we are deeply grateful for your partnership!
THREE-WAY PARTNERSHIP ACHIEVES TRIPLE WIN
The San Juan Preservation Trust, San Juan County Conservation Land Bank, and Lopez Community Land Trust have collaborated on a series of land transactions that expand a cherished nature preserve while also enhancing food security and affordable farming opportunities at the heart of Lopez Island.
The project has been more than two years in the making. It started in the spring of 2020, when a 117-acre property adjacent to the Land Bank’s 400-acre Lopez Hill Preserve came onto the market. To protect the property for future agricultural use, the Lopez Community Land Trust (LCLT) acted quickly to purchase the entire parcel. It retained ownership of 42 acres, including a 21-acre pasture with a long history of livestock grazing. LCLT sold the remaining 75 acres to the Land Bank in 2021, protecting one of the largest Western red cedars on the island and providing an opportunity to expand the Lopez Hill Preserve’s recreational trail system.
The final phase of the project is the Preservation Trust’s purchase of a conservation easement (CE) over the 75-acre Lopez Hill Preserve addition. Work on the CE is now underway, as is a fundraising campaign to cover the easement costs and establish a stewardship fund to care for the property.
An anonymous donor has pledged a challenge grant of $323,500—half of the total project cost. All contributions to the project will be matched up to the challenge grant total. To qualify for the match, donations must be received by October 21, 2022.
Please consider partnering with us by making a gift today! Donate here via our secure website, or call 360-317-3055 for more information.
