By James Krall

San Juan Journal

Over 36 acres near the top of Orcas Island’s Entrance Mountain near Olga has been bequeathed to the San Juan County Land Bank. On Feb. 5, the County Council voted unanimously to accept the property and place it into the Land Bank’s existing holdings.

The estate of William H. Halpenny donated the property, assessed at $750,000 and largely undeveloped, to the Land Bank. According to Lincoln Bormann, Director of the Land Bank, Halpenny appeared to acquire the property “sometime in the ’70s,” but never developed it.

“The Halpenny property is sandwiched between two existing pieces of Land Bank property. This is really a key piece in that it ties both of our existing properties together, and creates a preserve of a little bit more than 115 acres.” It contains a small pond, which Bormann thought was natural, and has a surprisingly high number of spruce trees growing on it. “Which is somewhat unusual,” Bormann said. It looks out over the entrance to East Sound, on the eastern side of Orcas Island.

The parcel adjoins the Land Bank’s Entrance Mountain Preserve, expanding the protected natural area to over 120 acres.

“This happens pretty much never. We rarely get donations of property,” Bormann said, “The Preservation Trust does, but it’s very unusual for us.”

Bormann said that public access is difficult, in that the road the access is a private road, “which always provides problems for us,” he said. “Access from the west side is incredibly steep.

“In everything that we purchase or accept, [public access] is an ultimate goal,” Bormann said. “Whether that happens short term is another question. We have a number of properties here on San Juan Island where we’re dealing with private road issues and it’s a slow go to make it through neighbor’s concerns to allow public access. Slowly but surely we’re getting there.

“We’ll keep it undeveloped, and hopefully open it to the public at some point,” Bormann said.

“We are deeply grateful for this generous gift of land from Mr. Halpenny,” said Ruthie Dougherty, the Orcas Island Steward for

the Land Bank. “It will be an enduring legacy, cared for by the Land Bank, and benefiting all who treasure the beauty and environmental integrity of the San Juan Islands.” In the coming months, the Land Bank will complete ecological assessments and incorporate this acquisition into the Entrance Mountain Preserve Stewardship Plan.