Thanks to you we made 200 in just 6 days! Let's go for more!The Mar Vista resort property near False Bay on San Juan Island supports bountiful wildlife, provides stunning views of Haro Strait, and has experienced only minimal development. However, it is a commercially licensed property up for sale, meaning its future is uncertain and potentially open to large commercial development. San Juan County Land Bank can help ensure that this relatively intact ecosystem is preserved, but to do so they need public support. This petition is a demonstration of support by community members indicating that we believe this land should be managed with conservation efforts in mind.
Here are some
more photos of Mar Vista by Rainer Wieland.
To whom it may concern:
For the last 60 years, Mar Vista Resort has conducted business on a beautiful piece of land near False Bay on San Juan Island. As you are no doubt aware, this commercially-licensed property is on the market. We, the undersigned, are concerned about how this property will be managed in the future, and encourage the San Juan County Land Bank to be involved in ensuring its protection.
These roughly 40 acres are unique in many respects. They are still relatively undeveloped, resulting in a habitat that supports a wide variety of both marine and terrestrial wildlife including river otters, deer, eagles, foxes, harbor seals, and more. The prairie fields support at least one species of wildflower that is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
This land has stunning vistas of Haro Strait, the Olympic Mountains, and west side sunsets, and could potentially provide a public access point to the shoreline in the "gap" area along San Juan Island between Land Bank's Westside Scenic Preserve and American Camp. This property also provides excellent opportunities for shore-based whale-watching, and has potential for being a land-based research site as it once was in the past.
We ask you to please do all you can to ensure the Mar Vista Resort property has a conservation-minded future. If acquired by San Juan County Land Bank, it could be well-managed and open to low-impact public recreation. With this public show of support, we hope that you do all you can to support an environmentally-conscious future for this property, regardless of who the future owners may be. The last thing we want to see is large-scale development that damages this relatively pristine land and/or precludes any future public access.
Thank you for your consideration.
