Archive

29 May Brown Family Homestead Easement

BILT Admin Brown Family Homestead This story begins in 1947 when Judy was 17 and her parents, Harlan and Ruth Reynolds, bought property along Sunrise drive with two other couples from their church. Judy and her husband Jack moved to the property in 1978 to live alongside her parents; in 1999 they donated a conservation easement to the Land Trust.  The entire 3.2-acre property is encompassed by this protective easement, a voluntary legal agreement between the Land Trust and a landowner that allows the landowner to retain ownership, but preserves the conservation values of a property forever. “Judy and Jack Brown made the decision to put the land into a Land Trust conservation easement in order to protect the beauty and life it harbors”, says Leyla Welkin, Judy’s daughter, “and to honor the dream of Harlan Reynolds that the land should foster connectedness for his family.” Why this property? Part of the beauty that Judith and Jack sought to preserve is a backshore wetland that covers the east portion of the property. Backshore, or tidal wetlands, occur along shorelines and are influenced by the tide. Together with a neighboring easement, the Brown Conservation Easement ensures that despite changes to the surrounding parcels, this wetland and the species and processes it supports will be protected forever. In 2014, Judy placed the land into the Brown Family Homestead Trust in hopes that it will stay in the family for years to come. The ashes of Harlan, Ruth, their son Kenneth, and Judy’s husband Jack are all in the garden, and three grandchildren and one great grandchild have been born in the house. Leyla’s two sons currently live on the property with their wives and children, and all of her siblings regularly visit. She says, “We are all grateful for the way that the beauty... READ MORE

24 Jan Battle Point Spit Easement

BILT Admin Battle Point Spit This unique property was permanently protected in 1990 and is the Land Trust's second ever recorded private conservation easement. The property possesses natural and open space values of great importance to the family and the Bainbridge community. It forms an important piece of the coastal ecosystem in the Agate Passage Waterway. The bulk of the easement covers a sand spit, beach and wetland that provide habitat and feeding grounds for a number of plant and animal species. Extensive grass areas make it a popular nesting ground for a variety of shore birds. Thanks to the conservation easement the property will remain in a substantially undeveloped state and continue to provide valuable habitat for native species. Acres Protected 3.44 acres Conservation Features Coastal ecosystem Sand-spit & beach Wetlands Scenic & open space values Habitat for migratory birds READ MORE

04 Nov Carlson Conservation Easement

InterlockSolutions Carlson Conservation Easement In 2014, the Land Trust began work to protect 21 acres that hosts a stream and forested wetland in the Island's central core. The Carlson Conservation Easement was officially recorded in December 2015, thus adding and protecting a critical piece to over 200 acres of already protected ecologically sensitive land. The Carlson conservation easement was graciously donated to the Land Trust by the current landowner William C. Carlson of Olympia. The Carlson property has been in family ownership since current landowner Dr. Carlson's great grandfather, Andrew Miemois Anderson, filed for homestead ownership of the property on November 10, 1883. Miemois Creek, which runs through the property to Manzanita Bay, is named to honor the family and legacy. Why this property? The decision to permanently protect the property was both to preserve a healthy ecosystem and also the heritage of the property. "In protecting this land from development, I wanted not only to protect the forest and creek, but also to allow future generations of our family to be able to get a sense for what the homestead was like when Andrew Miemois Anderson arrived," says Dr. Carlson. The easement protects over 21 acres and hosts a biologically significant fish-bearing stream, Miemois Creek, and its associated riparian habitat, forestland, and wetlands along with foraging and nesting habitats for many diverse species of native plants and wildlife. "The Carlson property is a gem–not only is the property a family legacy property rich with Island history–but one that is beautiful and rich with special habitat attributes," says Brenda Padgham, Conservation Director at the Bainbridge Island Land Trust. "Working with Bill Carlson, a tree physiologist who knows his land well, to permanently protect this property, was a wonderful project. Conservation easements like this are so important to fulfilling our conservation goals... READ MORE