A new way for Washington communities to gain open space and help build public schools is demonstrated in a $5.1 million lease signed recently between DNR and San Juan County. The Islands Sounder describes how the 50-year lease sets aside a 400-acre hilltop known as Lopez Hill, on Lopez Island, for public open space, recreation, and habitat. It’s part of the 3 million acres-plus that DNR manages statewide for revenue to state trust beneficiaries — school construction in this case.
Lopez Hill has a dense stand of mature conifers but has become surrounded by large-lot subdivisions with homes, making logging it for school construction revenue problematic. Past proposals to raise school revenue by selling or developing the parcel drew heavy opposition from local residents and county government. Now, the parcel, which residents have been using for hiking and horseback riding — state trust lands are open to the public — remains open space while public schools get construction money they need from the 50-year lease through the state’s Trust Land Transfer Program
