The Bainbridge Island Land Trust – Changing the Map of Bainbridge Island.  Since 1989, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust has been the lead non-profit organization preserving and stewarding the Island’s natural landscapes. The presentation will provide an introduction to the Land Trust and an overview of its robust 30-year history, including work with community partners and supporters to protect nearly 1,400 acres of land on Bainbridge. The presentation will also share information about the Land Trust’s latest conservation effort, Stand for the Land, a multi-year campaign that has already successfully secured three properties with down payments. With Stand for the Land, the Land Trust hopes to protect as many special places and as much critical habitat as possible as it tries to “keep pace” with ongoing development.

How do we decide what to protect?  What many people may not know is that there is a tremendous amount of data & science behind the Land Trust’s work. The presentation will highlight how the Land Trust prioritizes areas for protection through the use of its science-based Conservation Plan and data driven Geographic Information System (GIS), recently updated in 2018. The Conservation Plan identifies two priorities that guide our work: wildlife networks and shorelines.  The Land Trust has also developed a “Conservation Values Index” (CVI), that places a numerical value on many of our Island’s natural attributes and creates a priority map based on the layering of these values.

As a part of the presentation, we will invite members of the Women’s Club to provide feedback on what natural elements of the Island they value and what else the Land Trust should be considering. Your feedback will assist the Land Trust in finding a balance between natural resource and other community values as we continue to refine our Conservation Plan.

Jane Stone first came to Bainbridge Island in 1984 and like many on Bainbridge, commuted to Seattle, working in the engineering consulting industry.  At that time there were few permanently protected public open spaces but thousands of acres of private undeveloped land were used as de facto parks.  As a lover of the outdoors and believer in the value of natural areas, she has been involved with the Bainbridge Island Land Trust for over twenty years, serving as a board member, Committee/Stewardship volunteer, and supporter since 1997.  She joined the Land Trust as its Executive Director in 2014.  Jane’s perspective has allowed her to see how the Land Trust has truly “grown-up” to become a well-respected and successful community organization, preserving and caring for the Island’s natural areas, for the benefit of all.  From 1984 until 2013, Jane practiced as a geotechnical engineer, which included 23 years running an engineering and scientific consulting business on the Island.  Over her 34-year residency and work on Bainbridge, she has seen dramatic changes to our local and regional landscape.