Letter to Editor | Public lands are precious. So are private lands

||| FROM MIKE CARLSON |||

34 years ago the Land Bank presented a creative solution to the problems facing San Juan County at that time. Land development and the passing of a generation of legacy landowners meant ownership turnover for a large percentage of the County’s land base. Few options or outside resources existed for landowners or neighbors looking to preserve land.

Since its beginning, the Land Bank has purchased 5000 acres and controls an additional 2300 acres through easements. That is a remarkable conservation legacy for San Juan County. The Land Bank has fulfilled its mandate.

San Juan County is different now than it was 34 years ago. The SJC Critical Areas Ordinance and Shoreline Master Plan ensure that sensitive areas are protected. As the Land Bank buys more land, it plays a part in making land out of reach for middle class working families by absorbing the supply of available land for housing.

The Land Bank is exempt from property taxes so private property owners absorb the tax burden shift to their own property taxes.

In 2023, exclusive of any land purchases, the Land Bank spent over $3,000,000 on administration, staffing, stewardship management and site enhancements. By comparison, in 2023, the County Parks Department spent $1,900,000 to manage the county parks which serve more visitors.

The Land Bank has morphed into a permanent and expensive bureaucracy that will only continue to expand. Please vote NO on proposition 1.