Great photos of Land Bank properties…

Leaves from Limekiln Preserve, photographed by Tori Benz-Hillstrom

I checked in with Diane at the Land Bank about that photo exhibit they were putting together, and she sent me a few examples, plus the story about what it looks like:

County Residents Participate in Land Bank Photography Exhibit

Inspired members of our island communities shared favorite photographs of Land Bank preserves for the first annual Eye of the Beholder – a Photography Exhibit celebrating the citizen’s Land Bank of San Juan County. Participants came from Orcas, Lopez and San Juan Islands.

Sunset from Turtleback Mountain, by Jennifer Johnson-Fralick

The photos cover a variety of scales and subjects, from stunning vistas to textures and patterns of individual plants and substrates.  Among these, students from Greg Ewert’s photography class on Lopez Island captured unique perspectives of Watmough Bight and Hummel Lake Preserves, including images of pond lilies and sea shore life.  Tori Benz-Hillstrom of Friday Harbor says she was “drawn to the beauty of the little things that make our frequent walks at Limekiln Preserve so wonderful.”

Works will be displayed at the Lopez Farmers Market (July 11th), Orcas Library Fair (August 8th) and San Juan County Fair (August 9-12), and on the Land Bank website. All participants will receive a mounted print of their work.

About the San Juan County Land Bank

In 1990, San Juan County voters approved funding for the San Juan County Land Bank through a one percent real estate transfer tax. This tax is paid by purchasers of Property in the County. Land Bank funds are set aside expressly for the purpose of preserving the scenic and natural heritage of the San Juan Islands.

Through conservation easements or outright purchases, the Land Bank protects special properties in the County. These may be shorelines, wildlife habitat, woodlands, wetlands, homesteads, or farmland. The Land Bank has protected nearly 5,000 acres of important conservation lands throughout the San Juan Islands.

Conservation lands open for public enjoyment include the Westside Scenic Corridor and Deadman Bay on San Juan Island; the trio of Preserves bordering Fisherman Bay on Lopez: Weeks Wetland, The Tombolo and The Spit; Crescent Beach Preserve and Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island.

Third Lagoon and Turtleback Mountain, photographed by Alan Shelley

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