$2.2 million raised to save Guemes Mountain

The San Juan Preservation Trust, Skagit Land Trust, and other Save Guemes Mountain Campaign supporters declare on their Web site, "An amazing outpouring of support from the Guemes community and beyond (including more than 550 donations from individuals, families, foundations, and businesses), made this campaign a success."

Much of the fundraising was a true grass-roots campaign, as volunteers held house parties and a "Picnic in the Park" campaign to raise awareness.

Skagit Land Trust will own the property, while the San Juan Preservation Trust will hold a conservation easement on the land. A neighbor of the property has agreed to donate a trail easement allowing access to the mountain, and both land trusts will work together to establish walking trails to favorite view sites.

A longtime destination for hikers (despite the fact that it is private property), The Mountain rises up from Square Harbor on the east side of Guemes and has rewarded generations of islanders and visitors with spectacular wildflower blooms and unobstructed panoramic views of Mt. Baker, the ports of Anacortes and Bellingham, the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, and the layered vistas of the surrounding San Juan Islands.

The parcel is zoned R-10, allowing as many as seven 10-acre home sites on the hilltop. It's a perfect location for a premium residential development. The purchase by the Guemes Island Environmental Trust would keep the land undeveloped and open to the public. Already, about 828 acres on Guemes has been protected from development by the state Fish and Wildlife Department and the San Juan Preservation Trust.