Property adjoining Moran State Park, recently acquired by the San Juan Preservation Trust.
From the San Juan Preservation Trust
Working with Washington State Parks and a generous Orcas Island family, the San Juan Preservation Trust has purchased a 26-acre low-bank waterfront parcel adjacent to Moran State Park. This acquisition, which will be held by the Preservation Trust until State Parks finds the funds to purchase the property, will give Moran State Park its very first accessible saltwater beach.
In the interim, the two organizations are working on a lease that will provide the public with access to new trails, an historic lime kiln, stunning views of Mt. Baker, and 1,200 feet of shoreline along Orcas Island’s remote northeast shore (directly across from Clark and Barnes Islands).
With a strong desire to see the property folded into the adjacent park, the landowners (Allen Wilcox and Connie Collingsworth) had offered the parcel to State Parks at a price significantly below its market value. Lacking funds for this purchase, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission approached the San Juan Preservation Trust to explore alternative solutions.
The shoreline property adjacent to Moran Park, provides the only accessible shoreline beach to park visitors
Recognizing this unique opportunity to add the first accessible saltwater beach to Moran State Park, the Preservation Trust’s board of trustees approved a plan to acquire the property on behalf of the park. Until funds can be appropriated by State Parks to purchase this property, the Preservation Trust will lease the land to Moran State Park at no charge.
Public access, including an expanded trail system that allows access to the beach from the park, will be permitted as part of the lease agreement.
About the San Juan Preservation Trust
The San Juan Preservation Trust (www.sjpt.org), known for its acquisition and protection of Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island, is a private, non-profit land conservation organization that has permanently protected 240 properties, over 30 miles of shoreline, and 13,000 acres on 18 islands, including land now managed as public parks, private nature preserves, working farms and forests. The Preservation Trust was founded in 1979 by a group of island citizens concerned about the future of cherished island places.
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