Our Land Protection Priorities
Land Protection Plan
Many places in Island County are worthy of protection—far more than we can work on at any one time—so we prioritize our work. We follow an adopted Land Protection Plan to effectively save our most important and irreplaceable lands.
The diagram below summarizes the focus of our protection efforts as well as the primary and secondary features we consider evaluating a project.
Highest Priority – Lands that include one or more focus feature.
Additional Priority – Projects with primary and/or secondary features shown in the outer rings.
Preference is given to projects with the following characteristics:
- Significant Ecological Value, including large tracts of land and corridors linking protected areas
- Strong Support by community and members
- Location within protection-priority areas
- High Threat of incompatible development
- Minimal Stewardship issues
- Available funding, if needed, for acquisition
- High Leverage of available resources and partnerships
- Public Use for access and educational or scientific benefits.
Land Priorities Map
Priority protection areas are areas identified as qualifying for high levels of protection. In 2004, the Land Trust compiled natural resource and scientific data and other information, including public input, to create a multi-layered GIS (geographic information systems) map. The resulting map showed geographic areas that are important to protect. In 2009, we added new resource data to update this map. Our new and improved map allows us to work more effectively.
Learn more about our award-winning 2004 GIS map
Project Evaluation
The Land Trust evaluates all of their proposed projects to be sure that they are consistent with the Land Protection Plan. Evaluations include a field evaluation of the property and a discusstion with the landowner about his or her personal goals. The project is then evaluated using the Land Protion Plan criteria and, if recommended for further action, is submitted to our board of directors for final approval.
