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PRESS RELEASE
Donation extends wildlife habitat at Saratoga Woods
For Release – December 6, 2007
Whidbey Camano Land Trust Contact:
Chris Hilton, Land Acquisition Specialist (360) 222-3310
Island County, WA -
The Whidbey Camano Land Trust today announced it has accepted donation of a conservation easement on ten acres adjacent to the 118-acre Saratoga Woods Preserve. The easement, donated by Langley residents Dale and Joani Boose, will protect views from the Preserve’s ‘Pacific Yew Trail’ and Saratoga Road and permanently preserve open space, scenic values and wildlife habitat.
The Booses originally purchased the property to prevent future development. Their nearby historic family property and cabin has hosted six decades of memorable family experiences. Aware of how easily land can be changed forever and wanting to give a gift to their family and the larger community, Joani and Dale sought the opportunity to protect land that provides habitat and a refuge for wildlife.
“When we realized that the ten acres made a perfect wildlife buffer zone for Saratoga Woods, we asked the Land Trust to help us provide permanent protection,” said Joani Boose. “We knew it was the right thing to do.”
The Booses learned about the Land Trust and conservation easements in 2001 when they participated in a community effort to “Save the Woods at Saratoga.” The 118-acre Saratoga Woods Preserve, located 2.4 miles north of Langley, has since become a community treasure. Prior to protection, it was targeted for a 137-home subdivision, then a 400-room hotel and conference center, and finally a clear-cut logging operation.
More than 400 people contributed $750,000 to purchase and protect the Saratoga Woods Preserve in 2001. It is now owned by Island County and the Land Trust holds a conservation easement on the Preserve. Donation of the Boose easement is especially significant because it offers a refuge for wildlife where no human access is permitted.
“I'm just so pleased with the Booses for helping to provide a safe refuge for wildlife,” said Diane Kendy, one of the organizers of and donors in the “Save the Woods at Saratoga” campaign.
The property is mostly forested, with mature stands of Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, alder, big-leaf maple, vine maple and madrone, along with a rich understory of ferns, evergreen huckleberry, salmonberry, thimbleberry, salal and wild current. The forest provides excellent habitat for deer, coyote, rabbit, squirrels, American Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Pileated, Hairy, and Downy Woodpeckers and a wide variety of hawks. Its preservation also prevents additional sediment runoff into Saratoga Passage, an important area for migrating salmon.
As holder of the conservation easement, the Land Trust is now responsible for monitoring the property regularly to ensure the easement terms are met by the Booses and all future owners. In addition to donating the easement, the Booses will donate $5,000 to the Land Trust to assist the organization in the long-term costs associated with holding the conservation easement.
Conservation easements are voluntary but legally binding agreements that permanently limit the type or amount of development on a property. Landowners retain private ownership and use of the property. They can sell or pass the land to others but the conservation easement remains in effect.
The Boose property is part of a much larger protection effort on South Whidbey Island. Saratoga Woods Preserve connects to 600 acres of forested trails at Island County’s Putney Woods (formerly Goss Lake Woods) by a trail easement through private property, an easement also negotiated by the Land Trust. Trail maps can be downloaded from the Land Trust's website.
This latest conservation success by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust reflects a national trend. According to the 2005 National Land Trust Census, a report published by the Land Trust Alliance (www.lta.org), the pace of conservation by land trusts has more than tripled over the past five years. The report also states that the West is the fastest growing area in both acres conserved and new land trusts being formed. Total acres conserved by land trusts increased 54 per cent to 37 million acres in the past five years. This is an area 16 ½ times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
The Whidbey Camano Land Trust, incorporated in 1984 as a non-profit land-protection organization, appreciates all those who have played a vital role in protecting the remarkable places and quality of life on our islands. Joani Boose said it best: “A natural forest is a special place where there are vistas for eyes, birdsongs for ears, and quiet for the soul.”
To learn more about conservation easements and protecting private land, please visit its website at www.wclt.org or contact the Whidbey Camano Land Trust at 360-222-3310.
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