Dr. Frederick Ellis, a founding member of the San Juan Preservation Trust, died in his Shaw Island home Feb. 5. He was 93.

No funeral arrangements had been set by press time Monday. Visit islandssounder.com this week for updated information.

Dr. Ellis (1916-2010) was a vital and energetic conservationist. He fought hard to preserve the diverse environments of the San Juan Islands, starting in 1937, when he first purchased land on Shaw Island. Over the years, he and his wife, Marilyn, purchased nearly 1,000 acres of agricultural fields, forests with old-growth remnants, undisturbed shoreline and wetlands. Today, through gifts of title to the University of Washington and the San Juan Preservation Trust and through the gift of a conservation easement, all of this land is protected.

All told, he and his family donated more than 1,400 acres of land and conservation easements on Lopez and Shaw islands.