Director’s Note | Spring 2026

Happy May Day!

One of the best things about living in the islands is the opportunity to watch spring unfold in all its splendor. This season hasn’t disappointed with spectacular wildflower displays throughout natural areas, and the successive blooms of all kinds found everywhere from our town streets to our most rural places.

In addition to current habitat enhancement planning, the Land Bank recently held two meetings, in March and April, primarily focused on a proposal to allow limited deer hunting on Turtleback and North Shore Preserves on Orcas. The underlying idea is to try and reduce the impact of deer herbivory on many kinds of plants and all of the organisms dependent on them, including many pollinators and birds. We also included the idea for a separate Tribal hunt to help reestablish native cultural practices in the islands. We had a high level of engagement from the community, both positive and negative, with over 80 written comments, nearly two hours of statements at meetings, and even a petition circulated. Frankly, it was a great start to a longer conversation on managing our natural areas for biodiversity, ecological function, and people’s cultural, recreational and spiritual needs. The Commission will be taking this up again in May, and likely for some time to come. I invite you to stay connected by reading our monthly stewardship reports and/or attending our monthly Land Bank Commission meetings.