As a mom of two active boys, I make endless trips around Bainbridge Island. Although it’s easy for me to get on autopilot, I try to notice and appreciate the forests, meadows, farms and glimpses of Puget Sound that make our home such a spectacular place to live.

Recently while waiting at the stoplight at Day Road and 305, I pointed out to my son the huge rolling field at the southwest corner of the intersection because the sunlight was making the tall grass glow.

He said, “I’ve always wondered why there aren’t a bunch of buildings there.” Moved by the simplicity of this, and a little surprised, too, I responded, “I never told you that story?”

In the late 1990s while working at The Nature Conservancy in Seattle, I’d heard about a small group of Bainbridge Islanders who had an ambitious idea 10 years before. They were ordinary people who valued nature and the unique character of Bainbridge.

At the time, there was a proposal to build a driving range on 23 acres at that corner. I’d heard that they gathered in living rooms and worked cooperatively with all parties so that the property could be conserved in perpetuity. The group facilitated a land purchase and a lasting conservation easement; in doing so, they saved a visible rural space and gave birth to the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, an organization of which I am now a member.

Today, almost 30 years later, the land trust has helped to permanently protect more than 1,345 acres on Bainbridge, including more than 1,000 acres that are open to the public. These include areas at treasured spots like Gazzam Lake and the Grand Forest, places that I have enjoyed with my family. My sons may not realize that we are the beneficiaries of actions taken in the past, but I appreciate what has been done by so many to preserve the character of our community, even as growth and development have accelerated. Yes, growth is inevitable, but we can balance that growth and keep pace by identifying and protecting quality habitat and green spaces while they still exist.

Right now is when we have that opportunity. As local property values skyrocket, the land trust has found that the number of large, undeveloped, and unprotected parcels of land is shrinking fast. In 1996, there were 94 unbuilt properties over 10 acres in size; today there are 35.

With this fragmentation and record market in mind, the land trust has launched a new campaign, Stand for the Land, to raise at least $5 million to purchase at least five new properties.

The first two of these are gems: 14-plus acres adjacent to protected lands at Gazzam (Jablonko Preserve); and 15-plus acres that include a pond, stream and huge cedars (Cougar Creek Preserve) off of Blakely Avenue. Both can be visited by contacting the land trust office.

It’s no accident that Bainbridge Island looks and feels like it does. We have all benefited from the actions of those who had a vision. Now, it’s our turn to decide what kind of community we want to live in, and what we will leave for the next generation.

Through this campaign, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust is giving us an opportunity to Stand for the Land. Please join my family in supporting this campaign.

Jenny Lange lives in Port Madison with her husband John and two boys; she enjoys walking and kayaking.