Public Lands Report

The trails and open spaces on the island are popular with both residents and visitors, but they don’t just appear out of nowhere. Where does the money come from to keep them open? What can members of the public do to help? This is the fourth in a series of reports by Louise Dustrude trying to answer those questions. 

A view across Haro Strait from the Land Bank’s Westside Preserve – Louise Dustrude photo

As national, state, and county parks struggle with low budgets and rely ever more heavily on volunteers, one public agency enjoys having adequate funds for its mission, thanks to San Juan County voters: the Land Bank.

Three county residents created the mechanism for purchasing and preserving land by counties, lobbied the enabling legislation through the state legislature, and then helped get it approved in San Juan County in 1990.

The three far-sighted individuals were Peter Fisher and Gene Knapp of Orcas Island and Tom Cowan of Lopez.

The state law allows citizens of any county to vote in a Land Bank, but the only county to succeed so far is San Juan.

The legislation establishing the Land Bank provides funding, but not from the usual property tax or sales tax. Instead it is supported by a one-time one percent tax on purchases of real estate in the county, paid by the buyer, not the seller. To continue collecting these funds it must be approved by the voters every 12 years.

San Juan County’s Land Bank has now been approved by voters three times.

From its fortunate well-supported position the Land Bank has increasingly cooperated with other “terrestrial managers” in the county to build trails, maintain properties, and recruit and train volunteer groups who come here to help in a variety of ways.

A view toward Friday Harbor from Mount Grant – Tim Dustrude photo

Land Bank director Lincoln Bormann says the terrestrial managers group is made up of people from the Bureau of Land Management (which includes the National Monument), the National Park Service, State Parks, San Juan County Parks, the Land Bank, the San Juan Preservation Trust (not a public agency), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Representatives of these agencies meet at least annually to plan ways to collaborate, and they have a steering committee which meets regularly to resolve any issues.

“People have been very collaborative,” Lincoln said, “with no interagency battles. We’re able to talk through issues and resolve problems.

“It’s very helpful to have a group of people with different perspectives.”

Several groups send volunteers here during the summer, including the Youth Conservation Corps comprised of kids from Orcas, Lopez, and San Juan, the Northwest Conservation Corps, the American Hiking Society, and the Washington Trails Association.

The Land Bank or one of the other organizations needs to prepare work for them to do, find places for them to stay, and then supervise their work — making sure the volunteers have a good time here and will want to come back.

Last year, Lincoln said, the National Park had lined up several volunteer groups and then lost the staff who would have dealt with them, so the other agencies “all scrambled to find ways of using their talents and enthusiasm.”

Some of the projects these groups have worked on are the Garry oak restoration on Young Hill in the National Park; the Salish seeds project started by the Land Bank; and setting up plots for the Island Marble butterfly on land other than at American Camp.

In addition, the Land Bank makes use of local volunteers on these projects and as preserve stewards who regularly monitor the properties and help maintain them. Volunteers have built bridges and boardwalks for trails, removed noxious weeds, harvested seeds from and transplanted native plants, and hauled out trash, among many other services.

Here are some photos from the Land Bank’s Westside Preserve, shot on a wet winter day by John Dustrude and set to the music “Foggy Day” by Beegie Adair.

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