2023 Annual Report & 2024 Spring Newsletter

Celebrating 35 Years of Community Ownership of Land!

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LCLT 35th Annual Meeting

Tuesday, March 26, 2024 Doors Open 6:45

Annual Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.

At Lopez Center

Everyone invited!

Featuring locally crafted ice cream from Pine Tree Creamery and cones made with Barn Owl Bakery locally grown wheat, followed by:

• A presentation by Sage Dilts and Nathan Hodges of Barn Owl Bakery as they share their vision for the Grayling land.
• Displays of the site layout and floor plans from the “coming soon” Fisherman Bay curve six-home development and the Lopez Sound Road rental home
• A review of 2023 and an update on 2024 happenings
• Introductions to and voting for returning and new board members
• Meeting households who will help build their new homes on Fish Bay Curve

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It is desperately important that we take control in our communities of our food — to eat food grown locally as much as possible.

— Jane Goodall

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2024 Director’s Report Sandy Bishop, Executive Director

45 years ago, I visited Lopez Island for the first time with a group of coworkers/owners of a reforestation business. In the winters when the forests were snow covered, we settled onto Hugh Lawrence’s land and lived on Lopez between forest contracts. Lopez Island felt remote in those days, few of us had access to grid tied power or indoor plumbing. 10 years later, in 1989, as we witnessed property values rise 190% in a single year, a group of us incorporated Lopez Community Land Trust in hopes of disrupting the skyrocketing land prices. Over the years I’ve seen people make deep changes in their lives as they moved into secure housing. It has been gratifying to see these same folks settle into building community, It has been gratifying to see these same folks settle into building community, allowing their entrepreneurial skills to flourish, and making room in their busy lives for volunteer efforts. After all this time, we look at ourselves and ask, “Are we keeping up with the evolving world around us?” Working with the prospective homeowners for the next six-unit home development, and working with Sage and Nathan on the land-only purchase is refreshing. Through our conversations I see how sophisticated people have become in understanding what it takes to build a life connected to community while basic structures around us are collapsing – from the climate crisis to an ever-changing financial world, or the myriad of other crises that seem to unfold daily. It is an act of hope to say, “yes”, to trusting each other, to dreaming 200 years into the future and living one’s values. LCLT is hyper local, but we find ourselves connecting with many others within and beyond the US borders. People are searching for ways to strengthen their local systems whether in housing, farming, or economic development. They want to become more resilient in the face of so many changes. Living on a small island makes our situation somewhat unique, but our principles of interaction and our underlying values can be applied in any community. Just this past month LCLT has been in dialogue with Shaw, Orcas, San Juan and Waldron community land trusts. Further offshore we’ve received inquiries from Cortes Island, BC; Middle Marches and Bishops Castle, UK, along with the UK Community Land Trust Network and European Community Land Trust Network. These inquiries have focused on the food and ag work that LCLT is engaged in, as well as co-operative housing. Their interest also focuses on transitioning to a circular and socially inclusive built environment. Researchers from UMass, UW and Stanford have reached out to learn both about LCLT climate mitigation strategies and looking at the role of LCLT developments through a public health lens. What is exciting about these contacts is to see how community land trusts are being explored worldwide now in the effort to build more resilient communities. There is an appreciation for the versatility of CLT’s. People are impressed with how we on Lopez have found the CLT model to be very flexible and adaptable in response to our community’s needs. It takes many people working together to carry out good work and we are grateful. 2024 Volunteer Opportunities: Landscaping office grounds Maintaining trails Lunches and/or recycle and dump runs during construction Reorganizing sheds Housing an intern Helping with events such as Annual Meeting or Harvest Dinner or Movie event Volunteering during construction Ordering or picking up IKEA orders (And we always seek volunteers, so if you are interested in our work as a volunteer, let us know.)

— Sandy Bishop, Executive Director

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2023 Year in Review

In 2023, LCLT took the first step toward building six new homes on Fisherman Bay Road. Permits were received for clearing and grading, the well was drilled, driveway put in, and site cleared. We also received permits for a single-family residence on Lopez Sound Road. At Still Light Farm, Andrew and Lena Jones are transforming the land, preparing to soon start building a barn and their home. At Stonecrest Farm, thanks to funds through the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation, the barn now has new gutters and all renovations will be completed in 2024. The 2023-24 Lopez Farm Products Guide was published in April. Common Ground, Salish Way and Innisfree neighborhoods welcomed new co-op members: Amelia, Matalika & Janayah, and Diano & Marjorie. Last summer, LCLT staff and board participated in Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging training led by Quaniqua Williams. In August, Joe Schneider and Kim Clements hosted a fundraising event for LCLT, the second annual JazzBall. September 2023, we were pleased to receive a visit from Governor Jay Inslee, Representative Alex Ramel and Council member Jane Fuller.

2023 ended with an exciting announcement: LCLT signed with Sage Dilts and Nathan Hodges a Memorandum of Understanding to purchase the land only at Barn Owl Bakery.

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One of the new EV Charging Station Roofs

2023 Financial Report Submitted by Treasurer Jan Marshall

Income and Expense LCLT received a total income of $2,426,877 in 2023. The San Juan County Home Fund grant combined with private donors, foundations, a WSDOT Zero Emissions Program car share grant, LCLT memberships, rents, investment income and fees make up the bulk of our income. LCLT carried forward $1,180,539 of income for use in 2024 on capital housing projects. Income outstripped expense in large part due to building permit delays on the Fish Bay Curve project.

Total 2023 expenses were $760,793 which included the carshare program; design, clearing, grading and development prep on Fish Bay Curve; Stonecrest barn renovations; operating Common Field Water System; property management and standing LCLT programs.

Balance Sheet LCLT assets overall are $9,775,823, an increase of $1,565,847 from 2022. This increase is in large part due to the carryover of grant funds, repayment of loans into the revolving loan funds, and investment earnings. The endowment increased by 8% in 2023, and liquid assets are high as we prepare to spend funds on 2024 capital projects (six new homes, one rental). Long-term liabilities include mortgages, forgivable, and friendly (community-based) loans. The amounts shown on these statements are preliminary and subject to adjustments made during our annual audit. If you’d like a copy of our audited 2022 statements, please inquire. We expect to have our audited 2023 statements completed by late November 2024.

LCLT continues to have a significant impact in the Lopez community thanks to our members and contributors. As we embark on a new year of working to strengthen our community together, your continued support is deeply appreciated.

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Six Homes on Fisherman Bay Road

New Road Built by Lopez Dirt Doctors

Site Cleared & Graded by Lopez Dirt Doctors

Siding Being Milled by The Forest Folk

Read on to learn about the people who will be living in the new homes.

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Looking Ahead in 2024Barn Owl Bakery

2024 is shaping up to be a big and busy year for LCLT. Sage Dilts and Nathan Hodges of Barn Owl Bakery approached LCLT to see if we could work together to keep their land as a long term community asset by thinking creatively about land ownership models and community partnerships. LCLT’s founding purposes, of supporting sustainable agriculture and cottage industries, and Sage and Nathan’s philosophy for their land and business are a darn near perfect fit. The result is that LCLT has agreed to purchase the 17.5 acres of farm and forest land-only on which Barn Owl Bakery currently resides by June of this year. This partnership with Sage and Nathan ensures that the land will be part of a local food security system for at least the next 198 years. Sage and Nathan in turn, will lease the land and retain ownership of the buildings and business. By doing so, they can build equity from their business and buildings and retain the right to pass these on to their children or sell to others who will carry on supporting the local food system. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far to this historic collaboration, we have reached 82% of our goal! You can donate today to create a legacy of community-based ownership of land, and strengthen local food security. Give online or use your favorite way to donate via check, cash, stocks, Donor Advised Fund, RMD / IRA… To learn more about this historic land purchase and Sage and Nathan’s vision for the land, join us at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 26 at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. The meeting will start at 7pm (doors open at 6:45), and will be followed by introductions to new board members, the Fisherman Bay Curve Households, and a presentation by Sage and Nathan.

Next Neighborhood on Fisherman Bay Road

The design for the 718 sq ft single-story house

We are excited to start building six homes on Fisherman Bay Road. Building permits were submitted to San Juan County last fall, and we look forward to receiving them soon. Three of the homes are 718 square ft. one-story houses, and three are 1,163 square ft. two-story homes, all designed by Vandervort Architects. Each household will contribute 16 hours a week of sweat equity, helping to build their own and their neighbors’ homes, and learning skills to take care of their homes. If you are interested in volunteering to help, send an email to lclt25@rockisland.com

Agricultural Rental at Lopez Sound Road

We have started development of a single-family residence rental home, intended for an ag-related worker, located on Lopez Sound Road. Above is a digital rendering of the interior of the rental home designed by local architect Nitsan Yomtov of ETS Architecture.

LCLT Internship Program — Housing Needed

In the photo above, 2023 summer intern Owen walks among beans he helped plant.

Lopez Community Land Trust offers structured internships for people interested in construction and/or sustainable agriculture and community food systems. This year, there are nine fantastic applicants who want to spend time on local farms or at the Fish Bay Curve construction site gaining hands on experience. Internships can be a life changing experience both for the intern and our island community. There are a number of former LCLT interns who are now deeply integrated members of the community. While we’re excited to welcome interns, we can’t yet accept them into the program until we have community hosts to provide housing. Interns dedicate one day a week during their six-week stay helping hosts at home, perhaps in your garden or small home project. If you are interested in being a host reach out to Breton at lclt25@rockisland.com

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News from Stonecrest Farm Photos and words by Meike Meissner

Bringing sheep home to Stonecrest from the neighbor’s pasture

We call this time of year “The Waiting Room” as we wait for the sun to climb in the sky and the grass to grow, and for temperatures to rise and the ground to slowly dry out. We also eagerly await the new life of spring that every livestock farmer loves to see: new lambs, new calves, new piglets, new chicks, and new growth throughout the fields. With 100 breeding ewes on site, we anticipate quite a few lambs this year, with the first planned births around the middle of the month. Many first time mamas will be penned with their lambs for the first day or two after birth to strengthen their bond and keep an eye on everyone’s health. These pens, also known as “jugs,” are in the barn right behind the freezers and you will often hear lambs and ewes calling to each other. Supposedly, the term “jug” comes from parochial schools where disciplined students were placed in small rooms called Jugs – “Judgement Under God,” whether this is true or not, we don’t know, but the idea of having a Divine eye on new lambs is comforting!

Calves in the Barn

As everyone has noticed, the price of food is continuing to rise, beef in particular. The American beef herd is the smallest it has been in 73 years due to many factors – drought, rising input costs, wildfires, and the fact that many ranchers are selling cattle at record high prices and not replacing them. Small farms and ranches that have less than 100 cows make up more than 88% of US herds but those numbers are declining as farms and ranches are being sold. Nationally, more than 20 million acres of farmland were lost during the last five years and today the US imports more beef than it exports. How do these statistics affect little Lopez Island and the couple of hundred cows that call it home? Unfortunately, we do not live in a bubble and the prices of hay, minerals, and processing continue to rise for all producers everywhere, “the Big Squeeze” as one of our farmer friends calls it. When we started selling beef off the farm in 2019 a pound of ground was $6/lb; today the price is $10/lb and where this will lead, no one knows. We do know that even amidst all of these uncertainties, spring brings with it a new season, new life, and new hope. As farmers, we are focusing on continuing to produce the best product while navigating these changing times and we thank everyone who continues to support not only us, but all of our local food producers. “Buy local” is becoming more important than ever.

Calves in the Stonecrest Barn

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News from Still Light Farm Photos and words by Lena Jones

Still Light Farm in Winter

We are now winding down the winter work. That time when everything is stripped back, bare. You can see how the land falls and rises, where the water lies. Early on in the season we settled another couple hundred bulbs into the ground and now they’re nosing their way up. The snowdrops are in bloom under the young oak trees and already we can see where we might add to their numbers next fall. Next come the daffodils, prolific in the hillside garden around the old house site, where someone planted pale yellow ones with a double ruffle of petals. We uncovered them from beneath a tangle of knotweed our first winter on the land and they’ve spread ever since, coming up beneath the new apple trees and amongst the red raspberries we planted last year. We’ve added a small, multi-layered white narcissus to the mix, planting it in abundance along the driveway. After two long years of planning, designing, and permitting, we’ve received permits for our home and barn at the farm. We’re thrilled to start building, and grateful to everyone who worked with us to make these plans possible. Now the work begins in earnest. We’ve been walking the building sites for a long time, but now their permanent corners are revealed. Passageways through the land are becoming clear. Here is the path from the house to the barn, from the barn to the hoop house, and from there down into the fields. Here is where we drive, and here is where we need a path wide enough for a garden cart. As these paths and buildings are determined, the edges of those places are determined as well, and then of course we know where we can plant. A great big London plane tree has already secured its spot on the hill, along with four oak trees. A tupelo tree (to remind us of the twin tupelos outside our Portland house) waits for its spot beside the barn. Herbaceous perennials are biding their time in our little nursery beside the hoop house, or winging their way to us through the mail, or just waking up in their seeded flats.

Winter Work: Bare Root Plants

Before winter wraps up her season entirely, we have a quarter acre of orchard to plant and a few hundred row feet of small berries to tuck in. We’re already a month into seedling work, the green flats filling up the tables. Barn construction begins in April (the pad prep was finished before the rains truly started, and now we’re waiting for drier weather). Last season’s beans sold out quickly through our bean share program, and we plan to plant quite a bit more this year. Enough to expand our share program, and sell in a few other locations as well. Folks around the island have been cooking up the most delicious-sounding dishes, from cassoulet to beans braised with beef bones. We love hearing how everyone is using our beans and which varieties are their favorites. We’ll be bringing back twelve varieties from last year, and trialing a handful of others for future inclusion, including drought-tolerant tepary beans and locally adapted pole beans. One of our delights this season has been the way the farm brings people into our lives, and us into theirs. It’s as simple as our beans in someone’s kitchen, or a project that someone needs seed grown out for. It’s walking the farm with visitors and talking about how we grow, and how they grow. The farm feels both intensely personal (our own space) and like a connection point into the wider world. We’re glad for the ways it connects us to this community.

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2024 Grain CSA Orders

Steve Lillestol of Island Grist is once again offering locally grown wheat for the 2024 Grain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Fortuna wheat, is a hard, red spring wheat with good protein, milling and baking qualities. The Locavores and LCLT offer use of a small stone mill located at 25 Tuatara Road. Steve can also provide milling. The Grain CSA offers shares of 20 pounds of wheat for $24. If you are interested in purchasing a share or more let us know by April 18th. Checks are payable to LCLT and can be sent to PO Box 25, Lopez Island, WA 98261. Pay online via our website under the section “payments.”

Email Breton at LCLT25@rockisland.com if you have any questions. Be sure to note 2024 Grain CSA in the subject line.

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Welcome Future Co-op Members!

Adriane & Scott Allred

I’m a full time mom of a 3 year old and am due in April with our second. I have a growing clientele for my Barefoot massage business Deep Blue Ashiatsu. In my free time I like to knit and go to the beach. I volunteer at the library repairing books. Housing with LCLT would allow our family to be able to stay here on Lopez and continue to be a part of the community in which we have quickly grown to love. My favorite tool is a paintbrush, and I also like a good impact drill. – Adriane

I am one of the physical therapists at Lopez Island Physical Therapy. Most of my free time is spent playing with my daughter Andie. If I am not with her, I will be trail running, kayaking, or climbing. Housing with LCLT will enable my family and I to stay on island long term. We could not make this work otherwise. My favorite tool is a Japanese pull saw. They are just the best. – Scott

Amy Frost

I moved to Lopez in 2019 to become the Director of the Lopez Island Historical Society. I do everything from sweep floors to create new exhibits with my fantastic coworkers, but the best part of my job is interacting with the community, the board of directors, and visitors. Volunteering to support the Tribal Canoe Journeys has been a highlight of the last two years, a fun but also deeply moving and grounding experience (Come join us!). Hiking, biking, sailing, gardening, and knitting are other loves of mine, along with my sweet dog, Teddy, and good coffee! Housing with LCLT will mean that I can stay on Lopez for the long-term – in safe, healthy, secure housing. It will mean that I have a place to call my own, a dream that vanished with the rapidly rising housing prices of the last few years. It also means that in the coming months, I will get to learn new skills, which I am thrilled about. My favorite tool recently – a framing gun!

Sara & Justin Hurley

Sara: Lopez School RN, and part-time administrative assistant at the Chamber of Commerce and server at Haven. In my free time I play with our two kids, go to tap, and coach cheerleading. Justin: Works at Sunset, mostly in the lumber yard. In my free time I go on hikes as a family and play guitar and take pictures. Housing with LCLT has allowed us to move back to the island, where Sara’s family has been since the late 1800s. We have lots of family in the San Juans and it’s amazing to be able to raise our children in the same place Sara grew up. Favorite tool: Justin: pneumatic nail gun Sara: jig saw or miter saw

Kenny & Aubrey

We own and operate Village Cycles, a bike shop located in the Village. In our free time, we enjoy activities such as biking, crocheting, illustrating, watching movies, and cooking. Kenny serves in the Lopez Village Planning Review Committee and consults with Transition Lopez. We actively participate in the small business community and appreciate the ongoing progress of Lopez. Housing through LCLT will contribute to our mental health, economic stability, sense of community, civic participation, and overall quality of life. Favorite tool? Kenny favors the impact driver, appreciating the satisfaction that comes from sinking a wood fastener with precision and speed. Aubrey’s favorite tool is the chain breaker for bikes, symbolizing the achievement of riding enough to wear out a chain or, humorously, acknowledging neglect.

Rose Prust (L) with Visiting Family (and Hector her dog)

I am a special education teacher at the school and the coordinator for Camp Huckleberry. During my free time, I like to visit the local restaurants. It always gives me a sense of pride and belonging when someone in the community says “Hi, Ms. Rose!” Housing will give me the security of a home under my feet on the island that I love. I plan to stay on island for the rest of my days, and as everyone knows, housing is hard to come by here. Knowing that I have a home that cannot be sold out from under me means my happiness as I will be able to stay here.

My favorite tool is a pen. I can do a lot of magic with a pen.

Josh Ratza

My name is Josh Ratza and I’ve lived on Lopez since 2007. I have had a variety of jobs but I think most people know me as the noodle guy. Working so much during the busy season allows me to take a considerable amount of time off during the winter to travel and reflect which fits my personality well. I am raising two awesome teenage kids and I have two amazing adult children here on Lopez which keeps me pretty involved outside of work. I love spending time with my family outdoors, hiking, skiing, kayaking and camping. Housing with LCLT will impact my life in many ways but mainly it gives me stability, something that has been in short supply over the last 16 years. Land Trust housing also gives me a stronger sense of community which is hard to imagine since Lopez already has a strong community but here it is. My favorite tool is the simple hammer and chisel (I know that’s two but they work together so well!)

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Changes to the Board

It is with deep gratitude that we say farewell to Chom Greacen & Corky Searls. Chom has served on the LCLT board for two full terms, and Corky for one. Chom has brought care and humor as a board member, sharing insight as a LCLT leaseholder, and bringing great design input in innumerable ways. Corky has always been quick to volunteer when setting up for events, he lends a critical eye to detail, and has shared his enthusiasm for LCLT near and far. Chom and Corky, you will be missed, and we thank you for your service on the LCLT Board! There are five people on the ballot this year, join us at the Annual Meeting to vote in these great board members. We are pleased to have Quaniqua Williams up for re-election serving her second term.