Help Save Indian Point
| Published: August 17, 2012 – 9:27 pm
Indian Point boasts an impressive rare forest community that includes old growth Douglas firs and maple trees. Photo by: Mark Sheehan
The 64-acre Indian Point property, with its steep, eroding feeder bluff and lengthy expanse of sandy tidelands, is undeveloped and spans nearly a half mile along Admiralty Inlet. The property, located on the southwest end of Whidbey Island, contains many ravines, forested wetlands, tidelands, and a mature forest cover with scattered remnant old-growth Douglas fir trees and a rare bigleaf maple forest community. Many of the maple trees are huge and provide great perches for all kinds of owls, hawks, eagles, and other raptors.
Download factsheet and map.
The ecological diversity of the Indian Point property provides important benefits for numerous fish and wildlife species—on the land as well as in adjacent waters. Birds using its unusual forest include Peregrine Falcons and Merlins that follow the shorebird migration, year-round residents such as Ospreys and Bald Eagles, and wintering waterfowl such as Brants. This is also a place that offers abundant nesting sites for a variety of songbirds.
The entire shoreline of the property consists of steep, eroding feeder bluffs. Their erosion help carry nutrients to sea for marine life and play a role in maintaining beach and shoreline. Photo by: Cheryl Lowe
The property’s steep, eroding feeder bluffs and numerous ravines deposit sediment and organic material into the tidelands below, enriching and maintaining the shallow water habitat required for productive eelgrass and shellfish beds. This process also provides essential nutrients for fish that feed and find refuge in the eelgrass beds, including many species of migrating salmon. Sampling in this area by the Wild Fish Conservancy documented that species richness was high—they netted 58 different species of marine fish, including six salmon species.
Public access will be limited to the Indian Point property for a multitude of reasons. The first is that it is extremely difficult to reach and there is no legal public access to it. The Land Trust will offer occasional guided tours of the uplands to the public. The extensive and beautiful sandy beach is best reached from Dave Mackie County Park off Maxwelton Road. However, between the Park and the Indian Point property are a number of private tideland lots.
Finally, Indian Point is being set aside as a natural area with limited human intrusion. There is significant value in just letting a natural area be natural — it provides a safe refuge for a myriad of wildlife. Henry David Thoreau said, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” The Land Trust has spent the past year putting the deal together and working with the landowners – including purchasing an option on part of the property. The Land Trust has secured majority of the funds needed to acquire and protect the property through a competitive grant administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and a generous land donation.
Read more about why it’s so important to keep this property as a natural area.
Now, the Land Trust needs to close the gap and raise the remaining funds to make sure this unspoiled, island treasure is protected forever. We have until September 15 to secure the funding. Please help us with your donation today. Every dollar helps. DONATE today and help us protect a hidden Whidbey treasure. If you’d like to make a pledge, click here for a form.
