Longtime Island residents save the first acre of Trillium property
| Published: March 23, 2010 – 5:05 pm
For Release – March 23, 2010
Whidbey Camano Land Trust
Contact: Pat Powell, Executive Director (360) 222-3310
Greenbank, WA
On March 23, 2010, Dale and Joani Boose saved the first of 664 acres of the Trillium property—the largest parcel of forest land under single ownership on Whidbey Island. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust is striving to permanently protect the forest and has until June 10, 2010, to raise the $4.2 million dollars required to purchase it.
“We donated to the Save the Forest Now campaign because we truly appreciate having open spaces available for present and future generations,” says Joani Boose. “Dale and I are disturbed by the way we keep nibbling away at open space. Pretty soon it will be gone.”
The Booses began coming to Whidbey Island as children in the 1940s. Since then, they’ve seen a great deal of change. “We appreciate Whidbey Island’s natural beauty,” says Joani Boose. “It’s hard for us to see trees come down, prairies paved, and streams diverted into culverts. On a piece of land this large, nature can coexist with people who come to enjoy trails, birds, and scenic vistas.”
Through the years, the Booses have supported the Land Trust in a number of different ways. They own ten acres of property adjacent to the Saratoga Woods and donated a conservation easement on it to the Land Trust.
(Conservation easements are voluntary but legally binding agreements that permanently limit the type or amount of development that can take place on a piece of land.) Joani Boose serves on the Land Trust’s board of directors, and she and Dale have volunteered for work parties on a number of protected properties on Whidbey Island.
The Booses have passed their passion for the Island on to their children and grandchildren. “Our grandchildren love it here,” says Joani Boose. “The love we have for this place is one of the most precious things we’ve been able to share with them. What better legacy is there than that?”
Like the Booses, community members can help save acres of the Trillium property by donating $6,500 per acre, which goes toward the total purchase price of $4.2 million.
“There are a number of groups who are interested in saving the Trillium property, particularly those centered around walking and horseback riding,” says Pat Powell, executive director of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. “We challenge the members of these groups to work together to raise enough money to save one or more acres as their contribution toward the total $4.2 million. This is a grassroots campaign, and the only way to save this forest is if people roll up their sleeves and make it happen.”
To donate, or for more information, visit www.savetheforestnow.org, call 360.222.3310, or send your donation to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, Attention: Save the Forest Now, 765 Wonn Road, Barn C-201, Greenbank, WA 98253.
