Photo credit: Eric Kessler
The final report of public feedback to the San Juan County Land Bank using an innovative method to garner public opinion has just been released.
Using the digital tool Pol.is throughout July 2021, more than 400 community members put forth and addressed issues of local importance regarding the local Land Bank, bringing direct community input to the processes they fund.
Specific issues with regard to the Land Bank were addressed as well as general questions that were raised about where conservation efforts should be focused and how policy should be formed to best serve the community and environment. The report addresses the opinion data gathered on Land Bank governance, land management, and acquisitions and discusses areas of community consensus around organizational transparency and community responsiveness, preservation and public access, and property management. These areas of strong consensus fit directly into the Land Bank’s next step to improve the organization, its conservation programs, and its partnerships with our island community.
Kaj Litch, of the Computational Democracy Project, says, “The enthusiastic participation of the island community reflects the local importance, continued impact, and resulting accountability of the Land Bank to the people of San Juan County. Through this engagement, the public has spoken, and the Land Bank is listening. This is participatory democracy in our community.”
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Land Bank Commission meetings on the third Friday of each month. Access the full report is at sjclandbank.org/pol-is-community-discussion/. If you have any questions, please email Kaj Litch at kajlitch@gmail.com.