State Attorney General Rob McKenna will talk about “Protecting Private Property Rights” at the May 4 meeting of

CAPR San Juan — the Citizens Alliance for Property Rights, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the San Juan Island Grange.

Minnie Knych said McKenna may also talk about the proposed San Juan Islands National Monument designation and the possible implications. Land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management — some 900 acres — is on a U.S. Interior Department list of proposed national monuments.

BLM officials say the only lands that would be directly affected by the designation would be those owned and managed by BLM. Those lands — consisting of conservation areas and small islands — are considered Areas of Critical Environmental Concern and are already protected. BLN officials say national monument status could result in more resources for conservation. But some islanders have questions about how the designation might affect private property rights elsewhere on the islands.

Dinner is at 5:30 p.m., followed by introductions and McKenna’s talk. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted for dinner and attendees are asked to bring a potluck dessert. To RSVP, call 378-4662 or e-mail knych@rockisland.com.

McKenna is Washington’s 17th attorney general, elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2008, and is widely considered a possible candidate for governor in 2012. As the state’s chief legal officer, he directs 500 attorneys and nearly 800 professional staff providing legal services to state agencies, boards and commissions.

According to McKenna’s Web site, his priorities are keeping communities safer from drug abuse, meth, sexual predators and domestic violence; protecting consumers and businesses from identity theft, fraud and high-tech crimes; and promoting integrity in government by defending the state’s laws, implementing new performance management initiatives in his office and encouraging open access to government.

McKenna graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, and earned a B.A. in economics and a B.A. in international studies, both with honors, from the University of Washington. He has been an attorney for more than 20 years since beginning his career at the Bellevue office of Perkins Coie. He has been a member of Bellevue Rotary since 1993, and has been recognized as a Distinguished Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America.

McKenna, his wife Marilyn and their four children reside in Bellevue.