Stand for the Land

When the right opportunity knocks, the Land Trust acts. Over the years we’ve partnered with landowners, the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, the City of Bainbridge Island, state and federal agencies such as the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Suquamish Tribe, and other nonprofits to secure funding for acquisitions of critical habitats and open spaces. Public parks and preserves that the Land Trust has helped acquire include the Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve, the Hilltop addition to the Grand Forest, Blakely Harbor Park, Pritchard Park, Meigs Park, Hawley Cove Park, the Olson Property addition to the Ted Olson Nature Preserve, and the shoreline pocket park at Rockaway Beach.

People ask how our land acquisitions work and what we do with properties once we buy them. If the property is intended for public use and passive recreation, like Hilltop or the Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve, we usually transfer it to the Park District with a protective conservation easement in place, to make sure the property stays in conservation use. Other lands purchased primarily for wildlife habitat or conservation focused attributes, often remain owned and managed by the Land Trust, like the Wildlife Corridor or Agate Passage Preserve. Generally, these properties held in-fee are also open to the public, but might have some additional restrictions to help protect the natural values of the protected habitat. Properties donated to the Land Trust may have other special provisions that limit or delay public access, depending on the terms of the gift. Donated conservation easements typically have limited (such as for scientific studies or special events) to no public access, as they are generally located on a private residential property. Learn more about conservation easements.