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11/12/2007: "- Guest Column -"

Public Access
By Doug McCutchen

When I first came to live in the Islands about ten years ago there was still some opportunity to wander and explore tracts of undeveloped land. Friends who were born and raised here reminisce about being able to traverse the hills, valleys and beaches across the Islands virtually unfettered.

With the inevitable changes brought by population growth and development, this sense of freedom and open space has yielded to homes springing up on old trails, accompanied by “private road” and “no trespassing” signs. Anticipating the impacts of these changes in the fabric of our land and island culture, foresighted leaders in our community worked to create the San Juan County Land Bank.


As part of its mandate, the Land Bank is committed to providing low-impact public access to the forests, prairies, and shorelines that make the Islands so special. Totaling just over 3,000 acres, these preserves include landmarks like the scenic Westside, Deadman Bay and Limekiln preserves on San Juan Island; Upright Head, Fisherman Bay Spit, and Watmough Bay preserves on Lopez Island; and Crescent Beach, Deer Harbor Park, and Turtleback Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island.

Despite conserving these and other incredible local gems for public pedestrian access and their other conservation values, a certain mythology persists that the Land Bank “locks up” land and denies public access. Here’s the straight scoop on public access and the Land Bank.

The Land Bank makes a concerted effort to allow public access whenever feasible, appropriate, and desired by the community. When tallied by number of acquisitions, county-wide 60 percent of the Land Bank’s properties are currently open to the public (53% on San Juan, 47% on Orcas, 100% on Lopez). The Land Bank intends to increase the total to 93 percent overall. In the next year alone three new preserves will open to public access on San Juan Island. Sometimes it takes a while before a Land Bank property can be made available for public use. For example, access routes may need to be negotiated with neighbors, or permitting issues may slow the process.

Alliances with other groups have protected existing public access opportunities, and created new ones. The Land Bank has played a critical role in keeping much of the State’s DNR school trust land in the Islands in public ownership and the trails open. Volunteer trail advocacy groups – Orcas Pathways and the San Juan Island Trails Committee - have forged partnerships with the Land Bank to develop new public trails with willing private landowners. And, finally, the remarkable trails of Turtleback Mountain Preserve, and the splendor of Watmough Bay, would have been lost had not the San Juan Preservation Trust and the Land Bank joined forces.

There is little doubt that the islands have seen significant change in the last two decades. Growth of our economy and jobs created by building trades, real estate, and tourism are important. It is equally important that we hold onto some of the special character of the islands for ourselves and the natural world. All county residents deserve the chance to walk a quiet forest trail, take in vistas of islands and mountains, and stand on a beach watching the tide roll in. The Land Bank is our best local tool for insuring we maintain what we cherish most: our sense of place.


( Doug McCutchen is the Preserve Steward for the San Juan County Land Bank, he lives on San Juan Island. Up until the new part-time Preserve Steward for Orcas Island was hired earlier this year, Doug monitored all of the Land Bank Preserves which includes installing, maintaining and managing public access trails. Currently he is covering San Juan and Lopez Island Preserves.)