The Campaign to Save Mount Grant

— from the San Juan Preservation Trust —

The San Juan Preservation Trust announces the launch of a major fundraising campaign to create a new nature preserve in the heart of San Juan Island. The Campaign to Save Mount Grant, if successful, will permanently protect one of San Juan’s most valuable gems and make it accessible to the public.

The 141-acre property, valued for years by locals as a hiking destination, was identified on historic maps as “Mt. Grant” as late as 1920. Known by various names since then, it was most recently marketed as the “Lawson Ridge” residential community. The property hosts important native plant and animal habitat, lush wildflower meadows, serene hiking trails, and, with some improvements, easy road access to the summit so that people of all ages and physical ability can enjoy the spectacular, 360-degree views. From the top, one can gaze northeast to Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters, southeast down into San Juan Valley and Lopez Island, and north/northwest to Stuart Island and beyond to the Canadian Gulf Islands.

On March 9th, the Preservation Trust and the Land Bank made a $1.0 million down payment on the $3.0 million purchase. A $2.0 million seller-financed loan is secured by the land itself; should this conservation partnership default on this loan, the sellers would likely re-list the lots for sale as private residential estates.

The Campaign to Save Mount Grant is being overseen by a steering committee of 22 community volunteers that is co-chaired by Karin Agosta, former board president of the Preservation Trust, and two current trustees: Keith Wentworth and Thor Hanson. The $4.2 million fundraising goal includes transaction expenses related to the acquisition as well as a $1.0 million endowment for stewardship of the new preserve and maintenance of visitor amenities. The County Land Bank has committed $1.5 million in public funds to this effort; the Preservation Trust is now responsible for raising the remaining $2.7 million from the island community.

Community involvement was responsible for the success of similar projects on Orcas Island (Turtleback Mountain Preserve) and Lopez Island (Watmough Bight), which were also spearheaded by this Preservation Trust – County Land Bank partnership. Thousands of islanders lent their enthusiasm, sweat equity and financial support to those campaigns, donating gifts that ranged in size from $10 to $1.0 million.

To launch the Campaign to Save Mount Grant, a generous island family has offered to match every gift received before September 1, 2015, up to $500,000. This follows on the heels of a quiet major gift fundraising period, which yielded $765,000 from 80 island households.

“This will be a community-wide effort, and we will make it easy for everyone to participate in the most generous way they are able” said Wentworth. “But first, we want everyone to get up to the summit of Mount Grant to see what a treasure it is.”

Mount Grant Preserve hiking trails are open to the public every day, dawn until dusk. During the Campaign, the road to the top will likely be opened on Sundays in May following safety improvements. Watch for further announcements!

For more information about The Campaign to Save Mount Grant or visiting the preserve, please visit www.sjpt.org/mountgrant or call the San Juan Preservation Trust at 360/378-2461.