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 the cherished nature preserve on Lopez Hill while also enhancing food security and affordable farming opportunities at the heart of Lopez Island.

The Land Bank is partnering with the San Juan Preservation Trust for a conservation easement (CE) over the new 75 acre Lopez Hill addition. They featured the project in their fall newsletter, and are fundraising to purchase the CE.

Please consider donating to help acquire the Conservation Easement. Donate by October 21st and your donation will be matched!

And here’s a link to the newsletter, with full info about the acquisition and donating: Fall 2022 – San Juan Preservation Trust Newsletter

Hunting at Land Bank Preserves (Lopez Hill and Mount Grant) is limited to September 1st to
October 31st.

There is no hunting allowed at Lopez Hill before September 1st or after November 1st. WDFW
seasons may extend beyond these dates. Lopez Hill open dates for 2022:

Early Archery September 1-23
Early Muzzle Loader September 24-October 2
Modern Firearm October 15-31
Special permit; Second Deer anterless September 1-October 31

WOW! It has now been a year since San Juan County became the owner of Lopez Hill! We have a wonderful week of activities planned to celebrate this momentous event culminating in a Commemoration at the Lopez Hill Preserve parking area with special guests: Ann Palmer, Friends of Lopez Hill, Jamie Stephens, San Juan County Council, Hilary Franz, Commissioner Public Lands, Senator Liz Lovelett, and Lincoln Bormann, SJC Land Bank. This will be followed by a party at Vita’s. Please go to http://sjclandbank.org/events/ to see details of the events. Come join in the celebration!

GREAT PROGRESS IS BEING MADE! At the San Juan County Land Bank meeting on Lopez on April 15, Lincoln Bormann, Director, discussed the progress that SJC Land Bank is making in discussions with the WA Dept. of Natural  Resources (DNR) to purchase Lopez Hill and Odlin South. The county currently has a 50 year lease for both Lopez Hill (400 acres leased in 2008) and Odlin South (about 100 acres leased in 2010). Friends of Lopez Hill and other residents and interested groups, especially the Lopez Community Trails Network (LCTN) have been lobbying the Land Bank to get them to put the purchase of these two properties at the top of their priority list. These properties are not permanently protected unless the county has ownership.

Late last year, the Land Bank asked LCTN to conduct a survey to see how many people on Lopez were interested in pursuing this. LCTN conducted an email campaign and survey, and demonstrated that 632 people supported the purchase. Jamie Stephens, San Juan County Councilman, also came out in strong support of the purchase on behalf of the SJCO Council. At today’s meeting, Lincoln and several of the Land Bank Commissioners expressed their strong support for the purchase of the two properties and their commitment to making it happen.

The Land Bank has initiated discussions with DNR and is preparing to make an offer to the DNR based on recent review and assessment by the Land Bank. The next step is for the DNR to make their own assessment of the properties, and then they will come back to the county with the purchase price. Lincoln said he hoped we could reach that stage by September of this year. At that point, we will know what the purchase price is and can work on determining the funding sources. This convoluted process has been a stumbling block to any serious fund raising because it’s difficult to ask for funding when you don’t know how much you need! It is really heartwarming to see this progress and the great support from the community to purchase these two large, undeveloped properties on Lopez. Stay tuned for updates!