Press Release Archive
Access our recent press releases, or reach back in time to review older news stories.
2012
October 8: Public Input Requested on the Trillium Community Forest Management Plan – 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).
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September 25: Indian Point is Now……Forever Wild – 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. more
September 14: Free Tour of Wetland Restoration Site – 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. more
August 30: Donation Preserves Wildlife Habitat at Crockett Lake – 17 acres of Crockett Lake wetlands were donated recently to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, ensuring the permanent protection of a critical freshwater habitat in Puget Sound. The land was generously donated by Mary Bicknell, a Seattle resident and long-time visitor to Whidbey Island. It complements the 92 adjacent wetland acres acquired in March by the Land Trust. more
August 23: Update on Trillium Community Forest Partnership – Island County and the Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced today that they will pursue a slightly different ownership strategy for the Trillium Community Forest, located just north of Freeland. The Land Trust will remain the landowner and the County will acquire a restrictive conservation easement on the property. more
April 20: New Parking Area Opens at Trillium Community Forest – Visitors to the Trillium Community Forest this week will park their vehicles on a new lot built to provide more parking adjacent to the existing public access point, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced today. more
March 26: Take a Tour of a Fabulous Private Forest! – Join us on Wednesday, April 4th at 10am for a tour of a beautiful private forest on South Whidbey. Harry Case has lovingly managed this 176-acre forest for over 60 years. In 2008 he permanently protected it for future generations by donating a conservation easement to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. Located near both Putney and Saratoga Woods, this forest boasts over five million board feet of timber. The conservation easement protects this forest from being clear-cut and developed into 35 homes. more
March 21: Handcrafted for Natural Enjoyment – 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.” more
February 23: Whidbey Camano Land Trust Earns National Recognition – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced today that it has been accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the national Land Trust Alliance. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust joins an elite few with this official recognition of excellence. Of the 1,700 land trusts located around the country, just 158 have achieved this seal of distinction. more
Feruary 1: Whidbey Camano Land Trust Announces Trillium Community Forest Restoration Project – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced today that it has begun a six-week forest thinning restoration project on a dense portion of the 654-acre Trillium Community Forest to restore it to a more natural and healthy condition. more
January 10: Donation Expands Beach Access – Beachcombers and birdwatchers can now enjoy longer west-side beach walks on nature-rich Sunset Beach thanks to a private donation to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. The Land Trust announced today that the donation of over 16 acres of undeveloped tidelands will link two existing publicly-owned tideland tracts and create a continuous 2.2 mile public access resource. more
2011
August 29: Estate Planning Seminar – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust is holding an estate planning seminar on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at the Unitarian Universalist Hall north of Freeland. Tom Haensly, a noted conservation attorney will talk about Wills and other important aspects of Estate Planning. The seminar will cover options to create a charitable legacy, including gifts for land protection and land stewardship on Whidbey and Camano Islands.
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August 29: Trillium Community Forest–Interim Access Rules for Recreation and Deer Hunting Users – The Trillium Community Forest has interim access rules that will remain in place until a comprehensive management plan is approved by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust Board of Directors. The management plan is expected to be available for public comment in the first part of 2012 and be adopted soon after.
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August 17: Whidbey Camano Land Trust Secures Agricultural Easement on 66-Acre Sierra Pacific Seed Orchard in Ebey’s Reserve – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust has completed another project that protects historic agricultural lands in the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. A conservation easement on a 66-acre conifer seed orchard allows continued harvests of high quality, non-GMO seeds for reforesting projects in the Pacific Northwest. The US Navy and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program funded the project, which resulted in two easements on property owned by Sierra Pacific Industries.
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June 30: Public Workshops on Land Trust’s Protection Priorities – What’s the most important part of our islands to protect? Why does that matter to you? The Whidbey Camano Land Trust invites you to consider these questions and attend one of four public workshops in July and August. The goal is to hear from people who are interested in protecting ‘the very nature’ of the islands and discover what they care most about. more
May 16: Naas Tour on May 28. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust invites you on a walking tour of the Naas Natural Area Preserve in Ebey’s Prairie overlooking Admiralty Inlet on Saturday May 28 from 10 a.m. – 12 noon. The prairie will be blooming and the golden paintbrush will be in its glory. more
April 15: Land Trust saves 32 acres of Ebey’s Reserve farmland. – Another 32 acres of historic and prime agricultural land in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve will remain available for farming, thanks to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and landowners, Dave and Dolores Engle. more
2010
September 29: The deal is done! The Trillium forest is saved. – Smiling as the deed was recorded, Pat Powell, executive director of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, completed the transaction to purchase the 664-acre Trillium forest on central Whidbey Island. More than 1485 individual donations made the purchase possible. more
June 11: Trillium deadline extended – Representatives of Shoreline Bank, Coastal Community Bank, and North County Bank have agreed to give the Whidbey Camano Land Trust 90 more days to raise the funds necessary to purchase the 664-acre Trillium property northwest of Freeland. more
April 22: Author Elizabeth George donates $100,000 to save Trillium property – challenges Whidbey Island artists to follow – Like hundreds of artists and authors, mystery novelist Elizabeth George is inspired by Whidbey Island’s beautiful forests, rural landscapes and pristine beaches. These gifts of nature inspired her to seek refuge on Whidbey five years ago. more
March 23: Longtime Island residents save the first acre of Trillium property – 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. more
March 19: Land Trust launches ambitious campaign to save largest parcel of forest land on Whidbey Island – They say bold moves make history. After a 25-year legacy of successfully pioneering the protection of natural places, working farmlands, and other significant lands, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust is about to make history once more. more
February 10:50 beautiful acres to the Land Trust: A gift of love on North Whidbey - In 2007 Dr. George Fairfax of North Whidbey donated 50 acres on Zylstra Road to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust in order to preserve it in its natural state forever. The spectacular property, valued at $660,000 in 2007, is composed of 13 acres of pasture and 37 acres of mature forest land. The gift was made in the loving memory of Dr. Fairfax’s wife of 56 years, Del, who died three and a half years ago, in 2006. more
January 27: A Happy New Year for Salmon, Birds and People – In four separate transactions, the Land Trust completed purchase of 152 acres near Dugualla Bay in a top-priority area of Washington State’s salmon recovery program. Valued at $2.3 million, the purchases include 29 acres with a historic lagoon and forested upland, 39 acres of low-lying wetland and field, and 45 acres of tidelands, all on Dugualla Bay, plus another 39 acres of diked land on nearby Dugualla Lake. more
2009
October 20: Economic Stimulus Money Awarded to Local Land Trust- The Whidbey Camano Land Trust recently received a $200,000 American Recovery and Restoration Act (ARRA) grant from the Coastal Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for restoration of the federally threatened and state endangered golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) and associated native prairie on its Naas Natural Area Preserve. more
September 25: Land Trust Protects Important, Historic Farmland- Another 249 acres of historic and prime agricultural land in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve will remain available for farming, thanks to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and a group of willing property owners. more
September 16: Land Trust Honors Citizen Conservationists- The Whidbey Camano Land Trust will honor ten “Citizen Conservationists” at the Land Trust’s 25th anniversary celebration next month. more
September 16: It All Started Here: Land Trust Celebrates 25 Years Where it Began- “We wanted to save our land forever…and we needed a land trust to do that.” With those words, Albert Heath expressed a profound yearning to preserve the scenic views along the trail next to his land on Ebey’s Bluff. more
July 15: Choose Your Conservation Hero – Do you enjoy walking through Saratoga Woods, South Whidbey State Park, or Deception Pass State Park? Are you thankful you can enjoy scenic views along Livingston Bay and Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve? All these places include lands protected by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, but they would not have been saved without the help of courageous individuals – our true conservation heroes. more
July 7: Come Watch the Paint Dry – You’ll have a chance to do that when plein air artists show their talents at the Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s “Art Celebrates Conservation” garden party and art auction July 19. more
June 3: Your Land Trust Passport to Summer Fun! – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust turns 25 years old this year and the public is invited to join the celebration by participating in a “passport” program that offers a chance to win an all-day cruise along the coasts of Whidbey and Camano Islands. more
May 11: Land Trust looking for students to record local history – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust invites Island County middle and high school students contribute to its first-ever traveling exhibit – Landkeepers: Our Historic Island Families. more
April 30: Deal Protects Ebey’s Reserve Farmland – More than 80 acres of rich farmland in Ebey’s Landing Historical Reserve will be preserved for agriculture through a creative transaction announced today by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. more
March 18: Donation Protects “Harry’s Forest Forever” – “Thanks for making my lifetime dream come true!” Those were the amazing words Harry Case wrote on a card he gave the staff of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust after he donated a conservation easement on 176 acres of forest on South Whidbey Island. The donation, valued at more than $1.5 million, gave up future development rights on the property. more
February 20: Land Trust Protects Critical Heron Habitat – The Whidbey Camano Land Trust has acquired a conservation easement on 36 acres of critical Great Blue Heron nesting habitat at the Davis Slough Heronry on Camano Island. more
