Dear neighbors, I’m writing to share my deep, personal belief that supporting the Land Bank is a moral obligation. By voting to extend the Land Bank’s charter, we take a fierce and courageous stand for ethical, far-sighted, community-based stewardship of the San Juan Islands. For me, this is about values. Supporting the Land Bank is about what I want the San Juan Islands to be like for my great-great-grandchildren. If left to its own devices, the “market” and its misguided champions in the real estate industry (like Stephanie O’Day, who I’m sure is well-intentioned) will continue to chip away, tree by tree, parcel by parcel at the ecological integrity of these beautiful forests, farms and shorelines; the clean water and air; and the profound quality of life we currently love and treasure. If your values are all about “economic progress and growth,” then I suppose your checking account will thank you (and go ahead and put a vacation rental in everyone’s backyard while you’re at it), but by now it should be obvious that such short-term thinking will lead our community to a figurative and literal place of moral and ecological bankruptcy. The Land Bank, like any human-created institution, is imperfect, but the vision of the Land Bank – focused on preserving in perpetuity the most important environmental, agricultural, cultural and scenic land parcels in our county – is worth fighting for. I believe in that fight, and I believe in our community’s wisdom, our generosity and our ability to bring that vision ever closer to fruition.

The cost is tiny and the benefits are vast. Please join me in making the right and moral choice on Election Day – vote to ensure the future of the Land Bank, vote YES on Prop 1.

Brent Lyles

San Juan Island