The Southeast Alaska Land Trust has permanently conserved, with a conservation easement, 4.57 acres of shorefront in Tee Harbor. The property is adjacent to, and expands upon, the existing 55-acre City & Borough of Juneau Natural Area Park.
Juneau, AK – Southeast Alaska Land Trust Board President, Jay Nelson, announced today that Bruce Baker has granted a conservation easement to the Southeast Alaska Land Trust to protect his family property from development. Bakers’ property sits on the Tee Harbor side of Point Stephens, in Juneau, and is adjacent to the 55-acre City & Borough of Juneau Natural Area Park. The Southeast Alaska Land Trust has now protected more than 3,500 acres of important habitat, open space, and recreation lands throughout Southeast Alaska.
This new conservation property features over 400 feet of saltwater shoreline, a second growth Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock forest, and a small, private, garden and historic cabin. The property provides excellent habitat for eagles and other birds, black bears, river otter and mink, and Sitka black-tailed deer. Scenic views of the property are well known by boaters in Tee Harbor, one of Juneau’s most popular places to anchor.
Baker protected his property with a tool known as a conservation easement. Conservation easements are voluntary, legal agreements that limit the uses of the property to ensure that its natural, recreational, open space, or historic values remain in place while allowing land to remain in private ownership and on the tax rolls. Landowners who donate conservation easements may be eligible for both state and federal tax benefits. The granting of a conservation easement on Baker Lot D represents the 37th property conserved by the Southeast Alaska Land Trust. At this time, the property is not open to the public.
Baker states, “Since my late wife June and I purchased this 4.5-acre Tee Harbor property in 1990, I’ve wanted to permanently protect its wildlife habitat and scenic values. With the help of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, I have been able to make that vision a reality. By working together, we have been able to achieve both my purposes and those of the land trust.” Bruce Baker lives in Juneau and is a long-time supporter of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust.
“Conservation easements offer a unique opportunity for individual landowners to maintain the character and values of cherished parcels of land, while allowing existing uses to continue,” said Jay Nelson. “It’s a great example of harnessing the free market for conservation.”
The Southeast Alaska Land Trust has been working to conserve wetlands and other important habitat in southeast Alaska since 1995. Currently, the organization owns or holds conservation easements for over 400 acres of land in the Juneau area, including the Jensen-Olson Arboretum and the Marjory and Edgar Huizer Fishing Access Site.