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07/24/2007: "Conservation Partnership Looking For $1.225 Million"

(Steve Horn photo

The San Juan Preservation Trust and the San Juan County Land Bank today announced that they have formed a partnership to purchase and conserve a 7-acre property that is susceptible to development inside the largely protected Watmough Bight on Lopez Island’s southeast coast.

Local planning and development officials were prepared to approve an application to develop the 7-acre parcel adjacent to the beach at the head of the bay. That plan called for the removal of 60 percent of the trees on the property – about 20 thousand board feet, including trees that are at least 400 years old. It also called for the construction of a house on the slope overlooking the public beach, rocky cliffs, and sensitive wildlife habitat that have already been protected by the Land Bank and the federal Bureau of Land Management



“Many islanders will be surprised to learn that the pristine solitude of Watmough Bight is under threat,” said Sven Haarhoff, director of charitable giving at the San Juan Preservation Trust. “Imagine standing on the public beach, looking up to your right, and seeing a private home cut right into the adjacent hillside. The Lopez community worked very hard several years to protect much of the area for public enjoyment, but the southern shoreline remains in private hands and can be easily developed unless we work together to acquire it now.”

Two-for-One Conservation Opportunity
Recognizing the significance of Watmough Bight to the natural and cultural heritage of Lopez Island, Imogene “Tex” Gieling, a neighbor who owns the remaining private property within the bay, has offered to donate her land to the public. This gift, along with the purchase of the property under threat, would keep Watmough Bight free of development and accessible to the public.

Summer Fundraising Campaign has September 7 Deadline
Keeping the pristine, popular, and ecologically sensitive Watmough Bight undeveloped and open to the public requires a $1.225 million community fundraising effort. The Land Bank has committed $575,000 to the project, and the San Juan Preservation Trust will contribute $150,000 of its own funds. The Preservation Trust must therefore raise the remaining $500,000 from private individuals before the September 7, 2007 closing deadline.