By Jan | Published: January 18, 2013 – 11:18 pm

Films & Filmmakers series at The Clyde

1:00 Saturday, January 26, 2013. An afternoon with filmmaker Nate Simms.

Nate is a South Whidbey in-law (his brother Matt Simms and family live in Langley), but in his documentary Brunswick he has hit upon a subject in his part of the country that resonates as well here.

For seven years Nate Simms followed the fight over what should happen to elderly farmer Sam Bonesteel’s land, acreage that he sold to old family friends who assured them they’d keep it in farmland. But they sold it to a developer to build 140 homes, convincing the local planning board (of which one of them was a member) that it just wasn’t feasible to farm in Brunswick anymore. To counter that argument, Nate visited another family farm, one that had converted to a CSA and thrived. In the process, he learned a lot about the power of zoning regulators, the future of farming, and the pressures that suburbia puts on rural areas. It’s bound to be a lively Q&A afterward. See more at www.brunswickfilm.com or go to the Brunswick Facebook Page.

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By Jan | Published: November 17, 2012 – 1:15 am

A cool, frosty day with bright blue skies welcomed the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group on a 3-acre planting project in Dugualla Bay.  A diverse group of 70 volunteers joined to help restore property in Dugualla Heights where a conservation easement protects mature lowland forest, open field, wetlands and a small lagoon within the Dugualla Heights neighborhood. Click here for more on Dugualla Heights.

A primary purpose of this conservation easement is to enhance wildlife habitat. For the last two years, we have been preparing for this planting by mowing and removing Himalayan blackberry and thistle here. This last week, it was time to plant 1500 shrubs and trees.

Under those beautiful blue skies, people went to work with gusto. Now, you can see native roses, red-flowering currant, black twinberry, oceanspray, Oregon grape, red elderberry, ninebark and a few hazelnuts, Indian plum and red-osier dogwood, along with crabapple and madrone. There are even some conifers, Sitka spruce, western red cedar, and a grand fir.

These plants enhance wildlife habitat by providing food (fruit and insects), places to perch and new nesting sites for songbirds and others. Woody plants improve water quality; surface water runoff slows and the soil absorbs nutrients. In addition, those plants provide shade that lowers surface water temperatures (salmon love that) and prevent soil erosion.  As the soil filters more water, there will be fewer nutrients going into the lagoon which should help prevent algae growth.

Tubes around the young, tender plants provide short-term protection from weather and hungry wildlife. Plants in rows are much easier to maintain. Those tubes are usually left on for 1-3 years.

A lot was done. Thanks to all who helped. Stay tuned for more restoration news on other properties we’re caring for.

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By Jan | Published: November 16, 2012 – 12:31 am

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust was notified yesterday that it was named a Puget Sound Champion for 2012.  The Leadership Council of the Puget Sound Partnership presents this award to recognize outstanding local partners for their contributions to the ecosystem recovery effort.

They cited our “ingenuity, strategic approaches, and ability to work with a diversity of partners coupled with your staggering achievements.” Our donors are the real heroes here though.  Without the financial support they provide, our work could not be done!

Here’s what they told us:

“Your nomination was submitted for consideration by your peers in Island County. The Champion award is offered in recognition of your tireless work to strategically protect and restore Island Counties most precious places and resources. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust was specifically recognized in this nomination for securing the Admiralty Inlet Natural Area Preserve and Dugualla Bay properties.  The Puget Sound Partnership recognizes that those two projects are a mere token of what the Whidbey Camano Land Trust has accomplished.  Your reputation for ingenuity, strategic approaches and ability to work with a diversity of partners coupled with your staggering achievements makes it easy to see why you were awarded national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

We would like to thank you and recognize publicly how your dedication and exemplary work supports the recovery of Puget Sound and the regions 2020 recovery targets.”

The Puget Sound Partnership coordinates regional efforts to clean up Puget Sound. The Partnership was created in 2007, with strong bipartisan support.  Its mission is to break down government silos, define and focus on priorities, and ensure accountability for effective outcomes. The Partnership works with more than 600 partners to promote science-based solutions for the Puget Sound region.

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By Jan | Published: November 8, 2012 – 12:39 am

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust held a public workshop in October to receive public comment on the draft Management Plan for the Trillium Community Forest. Written comments from participants will be considered when the final Plan is completed.

You’ll get a chance to read more in our newsletter, which is coming out soon.

The Trillium Community Forest was protected by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust after a grassroots campaign successfully raised much of the money needed to acquire it.  The vision for the Community Forest is a healthy forest ecosystem that supports a vibrant native wildlife community where people experience the wonders of nature.

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By Jan | Published: November 8, 2012 – 12:27 am

Become an Island Guardian

Island Guardians provide a stable flow of support that is critical to achieve our work of permanent, local land protection on Whidbey and Camano Islands.

Island Guardians are distinguished from our other donors by committing to at least two years of unrestricted funds. This sustaining support provides the Whidbey Camano Land Trust with the resources to keep moving forward to achieve our mission. Monies will be used where they’re most needed—anticipated needs or unexpected opportunities—and always to support the Land Trust’s mission of protecting what you love on Whidbey and Camano Islands.

Protecting land in perpetuity is complex. It requires legal and real estate sophistication, stewardship expertise, an informed community, and perseverance. The costs are significant and well worth it, for the achievements are priceless, permanent and life-sustaining.

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust staff leverages your financial contributions by securing competitive grants, receiving land donations, coordinating volunteers, and running an incredibly successful and efficient operation. As an Island Guardian, your support ensures that the Land Trust works effectively on behalf of you and generations to come.

As an Island Guardian, you will be invited to small group meetings to share your priorities and ideas, ask questions, and hear more about our work – both present and future.

Join Today and Double Your Investment.

A generous donor is matching new Island Guardian gifts, dollar for dollar for the first $50,000, that are received from September 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.

Becoming an Island Guardian is Simple.

All it takes is a renewable two-year pledge of unrestricted funds of:

Island Guardian: $1,000 or more per year

Visionary Island Guardian: $5,000 or more per year

Forever Island Guardian: $10,000 or more per year

Join now!

Download the pledge form and mail it to the address at the bottom of the form. Remember, to have your pledge payment doubled, we must receive the check by December 31, 2012. Read the Island Guardian brochure here.

Become a hero…for the land and for future generations.

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By Jan | Published: November 7, 2012 – 8:46 pm

Quintin Viers, a senior at South Whidbey High School, designed, constructed, and installed a handcrafted bench for the Del Fairfax Forest Preserve as his senior project.  Milled on Island using local wood products, the bench provides a wonderful spot to rest and enjoy the Preserve’s “magic meadow”.

Quintin Viers and George Fairfax, who donated the Preserve to the Land Trust in 2007, admire the bench after installation.

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust, owner of the Fairfax Preserve, is proud of Quintin and all the seniors on Whidbey and Camano Islands whose senior projects contribute to the community in so many valuable ways.  Thank you Quintin!

The Del Fairfax Preserve is located southwest of Oak Harbor; for directions visit www.wclt.org and click on Projects.

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By Jan | Published: November 7, 2012 – 8:39 pm

Explore the Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s Dalzell Conservation Easement! Located in South Whidbey, this protected property is situated at the headwaters of Glendale Creek, one of two creeks on Whidbey Island that supports spawning salmon.

On this tour, you will view a complex system of wetlands and wetland pockets that help cleanse and reduce surface water runoff and learn from one of the state’s leading wetland experts about native vegetation found here and the valuable habitat this land provides for salmon, amphibians, and raptors. Also, hear from the landowner about the restoration work on the property. This beautiful piece of Whidbey Island is not normally open to the public so you’ll want to take advantage of this opportunity.

The tour is on Sunday, September 23^rd from 10 am – 11 am. RSVP to info@wclt.org or 360-222-3310. Directions and details will be sent to those who RSVP.

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By Jan | Published: November 7, 2012 – 8:34 pm

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust is holding a public workshop on Wednesday, October 24 at 6 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island to receive public comment on the draft Management Plan for the Trillium Community Forest. The Plan is available on the Land Trust website (www.wclt.org).

Sign-in begins at 5:45 pm, followed by a brief overview of the Plan. The majority of the evening is dedicated to hearing from the community.

The Trillium Community Forest was protected by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust after a grassroots campaign successfully raised much of the money needed to acquire it. The vision for the Community Forest is a healthy forest ecosystem that supports a vibrant native wildlife community where people experience the wonders of nature.

The Unitarian Church is located at 20103 State Route 525, 2 miles north of Freeland. If you can’t make the workshop, you can still provide comments by emailing them to Jessica Larson at Jessica@wclt.org.

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By Jan | Published: September 25, 2012 – 11:56 pm

Whidbey Island, WA — The Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced today that it has acquired two properties totaling 64 acres at Indian Point on southwest Whidbey Island to protect this wild and ecologically rich natural area that provides critical habitat for migrating salmon and native wildlife.

The new Indian Point Preserve includes 28 acres of upland with over 2,100 feet of steep, eroding feeder bluff waterfront along Admiralty Inlet on North Puget Sound. It also includes 36 acres of pristine sandy beach containing a flourishing marine intertidal area with eel grass and shellfish beds.

“This spectacular waterfront property will remain wild for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people forever,” announced Tom Cahill, President of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.  “It was protected thanks to our many partners, including a national coastal grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Ecology, a Conservation Futures Fund grant from Island County, a 60% donation of land value from landowners Greg and Ann Lyle, and cash donations from generous individuals who wanted to keep Indian Point undeveloped and wild.”

Land donors Greg and Ann Lyle voiced their gratitude saying, “We are extremely pleased that federal, state and county agencies and private donors joined together to preserve the Indian Point property, an almost virgin parcel, in a forever-wild state.  The Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s efforts in raising funds and putting this purchase together were extraordinary.”

Spanning nearly half a mile along Puget Sound, the shoreline’s steep, eroding 200 foot-high feeder bluffs deposit sediment and nutrients into the tidelands and eelgrass beds below. This sediment drives ecological processes for over 5 miles of shoreline and tidal flats on the western shore of Whidbey Island. It also helps to shape landforms and build the coast’s beaches while maintaining the shallow water habitat required for eelgrass, forage fish beds, juvenile Chinook salmon and shellfish.

Above the bluff, a rare maple forest, recognized as a Washington State Natural Heritage protection priority, is punctuated by a scattering of old-growth Douglas fir and other native trees with a healthy understory that provides nesting and perching sites for a variety of birds, including songbirds and raptors like Bald Eagles, Osprey and Peregrine Falcons.

“The Indian Point property presented a rare opportunity to preserve a fragile and beautiful forested shoreline and bluff. The allocation of Conservation Futures Funds allowed the Land Trust to leverage these limited local dollars with significant national support and private donations to protect this precious watershed and habitat resources,” said Helen Price Johnson, chair of the Board of Island County Commissioners.

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By Jan | Published: September 17, 2012 – 7:13 pm

Fall starts this week! How about getting outside before the truly cold weather starts?  We’ve got several opportunities coming up.  Join us on a tour or a work party!

Free Tour of Wetland Restoration Site — Sorry, this tour is full!

This wetland, part of the Dalzell Conservation Easement, is being restored by the landowner.

Explore the Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s Dalzell Conservation Easement! Located in South Whidbey, this protected property is situated at the headwaters of Glendale Creek, one of two creeks on Whidbey Island that supports spawning salmon.

On this tour, you will view a complex system of wetlands and wetland pockets that help cleanse and reduce surface water runoff and learn from one of the state’s leading wetland experts about native vegetation found here and the valuable habitat this land provides for salmon, amphibians, and raptors. Also, hear from the landowner about the restoration work on the property. This beautiful piece of Whidbey Island is not normally open to the public so you’ll want to take advantage of this opportunity.

The tour is on Sunday, September 23^rd from 10 am – 11 am. RSVP to info@wclt.org or 360-222-3310. Directions and details will be sent to those who RSVP.

Work Parties

Summer flew by, didn’t it?  Now that everyone is settling down from vacations and other adventures, it’s time to think about work parties! We have lots of opportunities for you to get out on the land. Come join us!

Thursday, September 27^th – Maxwelton Preserve Work Party – 9am-Noon

Blackberries are creeping into our Maxwelton Preserve, so it’s time to beat them back! We’ll be clearing out around the stream and wetland edge. We only do a couple work parties at this property so now is the time!

Tuesday, October 9^th – Trillium Community Forest Work Party – 9am-Noon

Trails never rest; this will be our last work party at the Community Forest until after the hunting season. This is a great reason to take a walk, remove some invasives, repair some trails, and enjoy the fall beauty of the Community Forest!

Saturday, November 10^th – Dugualla Planting Party – 9am-2pm

Volunteers gather for a planting party to restore a Whidbey Camano Land Trust property.

This is a big one! We are partnering with the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group to plant 1500 seedlings at our Dugualla Heights Conservation Easement. This is one step in a series of restoration activities taking place at the lagoon. Come see this beautiful property not open to the public and be part of the restoration! We’re being spoiled on this one, since we have a work crew coming the day before to pre-drill our planting holes.

If you are interested in any of these work parties, RSVP to Jessica@wclt.org

Details on work parties will be emailed to those who RSVP approximately 3-4 days before the work party.

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