Executive directors and land‑bank staff on Monday told the San Juan County Council that a long‑running public‑private partnership between the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust has supported major conservation acquisitions and stewardship across the islands.

Angela Anderson, executive director of the San Juan Preservation Trust, and Lincoln Borman, director of the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank, described a collaborative model in which the land bank provides public funding principally from a real‑estate excise tax and the trust brings private fundraising, donors and transactional agility. Anderson said the trust is “a private, nationally accredited, non profit land trust” that has completed “over 300 land transactions” and protected “over 19,000 acres” since 1979; she added the trust now employs more than 26 staff and is headquartered in Friday Harbor.

Why this matters: council members heard that the partnership’s dual approach — fee‑title acquisition by the public land bank combined with conservation easements held by the nonprofit — creates layered legal and financial protection for conserved parcels and leverages public funds to attract private philanthropy. Lincoln Borman called Turtleback “a turning point” that required coordinated county bonding and a large, time‑pressured fundraising campaign; that project expanded the trust’s fundraising ambitions and the land bank’s stewardship commitments.

Staff and trust leaders reviewed several multi‑year projects: Cascade Creek / Coho Preserve, where a salmon‑recovery grant of nearly $500,000 supported acquisition work; Turtleback, the partnership’s largest campaign that included county bonding and a multi‑million‑dollar fundraising drive; and Beaverton Marsh, a cooperative acquisition that connected preserved parcels and created a public trail corridor into Friday Harbor. Anderson and Borman said the partnership has protected roughly “3,700 acres and over 23,000 feet of shoreline” together.

Council members asked about long‑term stewardship funding and legal reviews. Council member Justin asked staff to follow up about stewardship investments and ensuring the county and partners fund long‑term care. Anderson described shared due diligence and fundraising responsibilities: “We may each be putting something into the different studies that are done, the assessments, the appraisals,” she said, adding that the trust often moves quickly if a property is about to hit the market and then raises funds while a transaction is underway.

Discussion vs. action: the presentation was informational. No land acquisitions, grants or formal county commitments were advanced during the meeting beyond staff follow‑up offers to consult with council members on stewardship funding.

Ending: Trust and land‑bank leaders said they will return to council as projects require land‑use approvals, stewardship planning or funding decisions; they emphasized continuing cooperation to maximize conservation outcomes.