Letter to the Editor: Land Bank Critical to Our Future

Dear Editor,

Our whole family appreciates the way the Land Bank supports our local economy by bringing in outside funding and by leveraging public dollars. Collaboration with willing private landowners and partner organizations helped raise over 23 million dollars of additional funds in just the last five years!

Thanks to the Land Bank, the San Juan Islands have more preserved farmland and farm infrastructure and our beautiful open spaces attract visitors that are a mainstay of our economy. The San Juan Islands are a top world travel destination. By managing growth to help pay for conservation, the Land Banks is safeguarding the foundation of our economy. And we islanders reap the benefits everyday from our precious public lands.

We so appreciate how this is accomplished with low overhead (administrative costs average 6% a year), low tax impact (funded by a 1% tax paid by the buyer when real estate is purchased in the county and the property tax cost per year to a local landowner is less than $15 for a $ 500,000 property). And who can argue with 250 volunteers who put in over an additional year of equivalent paid labor?

Thank you Land Bank! You are crucial to our economic health and the future of our children’s children. We can’t imagine what the islands would look like without you.”

Shann Weston, Steve, Mariya and Elena Porten