With its evergreens, douglas firs, lush vegetation, and eagle, hawk, and owl sightings, the Odlin South property on the north end of Lopez has been untouched for the last 18 years. But the fate of the land is up in the air, as its owner, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), may soon be selling it.

As a prelude to a special session on Lopez on Monday, Dec. 1, the county council took state representatives Dave Quall and Jeff Morris on a tour of the Odlin South parcel.

All council members were present (except for Kevin Ranker who was on county business in Seattle) as well as council member-elect Lovel Pratt, SJC Administrator Peter Rose, SJC Human Resource Manager Pamela Morais, SJC Deputy Director Adina Cunningham, clerk to the council Ann Larson, Tim Clark of the San Juan County Conservation District, and Hawk Arps, who is part of a community group advocating the preservation of Odlin South.

The 106-acre parcel, which council member Bob Myhr, Lopez/Shaw, says is the single largest, undeveloped parcel on Lopez up for grabs, is nestled next to Odlin Park.

The community-run Odlin South Preservation Project states that the land is home to a next generation forest that provides a recreation range to many creatures, both two- and four-legged. In the early 1900s the land was part of a larger piece overseen by the Federal Military Reserve. In the late 1920s, that agency transferred a portion of the parcel to San Juan County Parks, creating Odlin Park. They assigned the remainder of the parcel to the care of DNR.

The parcel was last logged in 1990 and has not been disturbed since then. There are confirmed sightings of eagle, osprey, Cooper’s and red-tail hawk, merlin, barred and great horned owl, along with common local birds and other flora and fauna. The parcel is particularly important because of the watershed functions of the Class 2 wetlands that run through it as well as its aspen groves.

The plan is for DNR to request funds from the state legislature for its Trust Lands Transfer program, which provides the opportunity to retain special trust lands in public ownership while maintaining and improving economic return to trust beneficiaries. The legislature will make that funding decision in April.

If the request is approved, DNR can begin to work with the county on initiating a transfer. According to Myhr, it is not clear if all of the 106 acres will be transferred.

“The current plan is to transfer about 35 acres to the county as a parks reserve. The remaining acreage could be sold but there is no plan for that to be done immediately,” he said.

He noted that the recent election of Washington State Land Commissioner Peter Goldmark could affect the outcome. He added that it may be possible for more funds to go into the Trust Lands Transfer Program to cover at least some of the additional acreage. This could require asking the community for financial help.

It is the intent of the Odlin South Preservation Project to contribute private and public money to the cause, with the goal of preserving the property for public, non-motorized recreational use and retaining its natural habitat.

Local land groups have been involved as well. Lincoln Bormann of the San Juan County Land Bank has been discussing the transfer with DNR staff and Tim Seifert of the San Juan Preservation Trust has attended several discussion sessions.

As Odlin Park manager Jody Snapp led a tour of the grounds, Reps. Quall and Morris asked Snapp and the council many questions about the property. According to Myhr, Rep. Morris said there is a possibility that funds currently not being used for projects on the mainland could be applied to the property.

After the tour concluded, the county council held a special meeting at the Lopez Fire Hall as part of an ongoing effort to hold meetings throughout the islands. In addition to the Odlin South project, agenda items included county legislative priorities and the proposed 2009 budget reviews. For the council’s decision on some of these items from its Dec. 2 meeting, please see the related story on A1.

During the meeting, Myhr said the next steps in the Odlin South project are to contact DNR and look at its capital budget and touch base with Land Commissioner Goldmark. Councilman Myhr will be the designated point person on the Odlin South project.

Tax deductible donations for the Odlin South Preservation Project are being accepted by the San Juan County Land Bank and can be sent to 350 Court St #6, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. Please contact Heather Arps at harps4@centurytel.com or raitiwae@aol.com with any questions.

There will be a fundraiser for Odlin South on Sunday, Dec. 14, starting at 5 p.m. at Lopez Center. Members of the Lopez Artist Guild have created and donated 8×8 original works of art, which will be sold. Enjoy live music, fancy finger food and beverages.