The Land Bank Commission
The Land Bank Commissioners are volunteer members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners and serve four year terms.  More information about the composition, powers & duties and organization of the Commission, can be found in the San Juan Ordinance, Chapter 16.54, Citizens Conservation, Land Bank.

Commission Meeting Information
Meeting Schedule, Minutes and Agenda

Commissioners
Tom Cowan, Chair of the Land Bank Commission and his family have lived on Lopez Island since 1974. Tom is a policy consultant and a marine resources project manager. He was formerly the Director of the Northwest Straits Commission, a citizen-based organization charged by Congress with protecting and restoring salmon, shellfish, bottomfish and marine habitats in Puget Sound. Prior to this position, he was the legislative liaison for the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team. Tom was also a San Juan County Commissioner from 1983 to 1994 and was active in creating the State legislation that authorized the San Juan County Land Bank. He serves on the Board of the SeaDoc Society, a marine ecosystem health program centered on Orcas Island. He can be contacted at: 3299 Center Road, Lopez Island 98261 or tel. 468-2191 or, e-mail at tomcowan@centurytel.net

(in alphabetical order)
Amanda Azous has been a Land Bank Commissioner since May, 1999. She is a Science Director for Herrera Environmental Consultants, an interdisciplinary environmental and engineering consulting firm servicing the northwest. Prior to her work for Herrara, Amanda consulted at Azous Environmental Sciences for 12 years, providing environmental services such as land management planning, stewardship plans, ecological restoration and design services in the Islands. Her work affords her the special opportunity to research, visit and study land throughout the San Juans. This has fueled her commitment to land stewardship and preservation. Amanda also serves on the San Juan County Noxious Weed Board and is an advisor to the Board of the San Juan Nature Institute. She is from Doe Bay on Orcas Island. She can be contacted at: PO Box 313, Olga, WA 98279 and/or 26 Bosuns Way, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 or tel. 360-370-5802 or, e-mail at azous@rockisland.com

Lance Evans and his wife have been residents of Orcas Island for 15 years. Supporting efforts to protect the natural beauty of the islands, and giving back to the community through service have been important parts of Lance’s time in the San Juan Islands. Currently in his fifth year as the Executive Director for the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce, he has also served on the Board of Directors for the Orcas Island Community Foundation, the Orcas Island Medical Center, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services of the San Juan Islands, and other non-profit organizations. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Lance graduated from UCLA in 1977 with a degree in Communication Studies. Prior to moving to Orcas Island, Evans worked in the entertainment industry as an executive with CBS and Turner Network Television, in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York City. Lance can be reached at PO Box 252, Eastsound, WA 98245, or tel. at 360-376-2273, or email at lance.evans@live.com

Nancy Greene first visited the San Juan Islands in 1966 and moved to Lopez in 1993. She is part of Greene Partners Architecture and Design, an architectural practice located in Lopez Village since 1989. Previously she managed commercial construction projects ranging from $500,000 to $27 million in San Francisco and has taught college courses in the humanities. She helped create Lopez Center and is active in Lopez Village Planning and the creation of sustainable design and building practices in the San Juans. Nancy can be contacted at: PO Box 129, Lopez, WA 98261 or tel. 360-468-3659 or, e-mail at nancy@greenepartners.com

Jim Skoog, Financial Officer has been an engaged San Juan Islander since moving here in 1994 from Maui, Hawaii. Jim is passionate about “healthy community” and believes that conservation efforts are an integral part of that health. He has served for nine years on the Board of the San Juan Island Community Foundation, was co-founder of the Leadership San Juan Islands program, served on the Board of the Whale Museum, was a founding Board member of the SJC Economic Development Council, as well as other nonprofit endeavors. Jim currently serves as Treasurer for the San Juan Public Schools Foundation. He has a degree in Economics from UCSD, worked for 17 years in the Hospitality industry and for 7 years as a Financial Advisor for a large Wall Street firm. For the last four years Jim has run his own business as an Estate Manager/Land Steward for private clients on San Juan Island. He manages over
330 acres of pristine forest, prairie, farm and coastal lands and is actively engaged in conservation projects on these lands. Jim can be contacted at: PO Box 342, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, or tel. at 360-370-5822, or email at arrowhead@rockisland.com

Douglas Strandberg, Vice Chair of the Land Bank Commission has been providing legal counsel and advice to clients and public agencies in Washington and Alaska since graduating from the University of Washington in 1971. For the last ten years he has maintained a general practice of law in Friday Harbor with an emphasis on real estate, while continuing to work with an Alaska Native Corporation on complex land and environmental issues. Prior to moving to San Juan Island in 1992, Doug owned his own law firm in Anchorage for thirteen years. During this time, Doug also served for five years as the volunteer attorney member of Alaska’s Violent Crime Compensation Board, including two years as its chairman. In addition to this public service, Doug has provided pro bono services to a wide variety of non-profit groups in Washington and Alaska. Doug has long been committed to the preservation and stewardship of our lands, while recognizing that many of these lands should be open for public use and enjoyment. Doug brings to the Land Bank a varied background of legal experience and a practical approach to problem solving and consensus building. He is an avid fisherman, hiker, beach lover and organic gardener. Doug Strandberg can be reached at PO Box 2321, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 or tel. at 360-378-3390 or e-mail at dfslaw@rockisland.com

Lisa Botiller Wolford has lived on Orcas Island over twenty years. She currently works as a realtor at Orcas Island Realty. Previous to that she ran one of the leading real estate companies in the San Juan Islands since 2003, based on Orcas. During her first ten years on Orcas Island, Lisa managed a resort, worked with local businesses, and helped to manage local building and land development projects. Lisa views stewardship and conservation of the unique features of the San Juan environment as an essential contribution by and for the community. Before coming to the San Juan Islands, Lisa took her degree in Industrial Design from San Francisco State University, with further graduate work in Marine Biology at California State University Long Beach. Lisa's community involvement includes several years as a Board Member of the Orcas Montessori School, a six-year stint as a Board Member at Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Services of San Juan County, where she presently serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors. Before joining the Land Bank, Lisa was deeply involved in the effort in 2006 to conserve Turtleback Mountain. Lisa and her son have enjoyed traveling to faraway places over the years, enjoying what the rest of the world has to offer, but always returning home to the islands. He enjoys his life here and can be found out rowing crew with the team early mornings on Cascade Lake in Moran State Park. Lisa can be contacted at: PO Box 171, Eastsound, WA 98245, or tel. at 360-376-2145 ext. 1, or email at lisa@orcasislandrealty.com

see also Land Bank Staff

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