The increased clouds tell me that something is happening – oh, that’s right, it’s the beginning of the fall season, a chance for islanders to get back out on the land and enjoy the spectacular place in which we are so fortunate to live. Good bye yellowjackets and hello sweater weather.
After – Road Decommissioned
Road Before
Pushing through extreme heat and an inordinate amount of yellowjackets, stewardship staff and volunteers accomplished a great deal over the summer months. On San Juan, check out the new trailhead parking at Mount Grant and another new trail at Beaverton Marsh Preserve. And Lopez now has a new Preserve to explore – Spencer Spit Preserve – accessed from Spencer Spit State Park. On Orcas, we’re wrapping up a summer-long effort to increase the resiliency of the Turtleback Mountain road and trail network (see pics) to the effects of climate change and preparing to open a new shoreline preserve in 2024. And these are just the highlights! For more details regarding summer work, I encourage you to review our monthly Stewardship Reports. I, along with our volunteer Board of Commissioners, am always impressed with the amount of work completed by our small staff.
Looking forward, we hope you’ll comment on our strategic planning efforts. We’ll post questions and ask for input regarding the Land Bank’s future direction on the County’s new “Engage” page, likely in November. Here’s the general link: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/.
Until then, good luck winding up those weatherproofing projects!