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PRESS RELEASE
Land Trust to Protect Rare, Native Plant Property
The Whidbey Camano Land Trust announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Seattle Pacific University (SPU) to buy an extraordinary 33-acre property containing one of the last eleven populations in the world of Castilleja levisecta , or golden paintbrush.
The property, located on the west side of Whidbey Island in Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, is the northern extent of SPU's ownership at the historic Camp Casey complex. It contains nearly two-thirds of a mile of high bluff shoreline along Admiralty Inlet and overlooks the scenic Olympic Mountains.
“We are thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to take over the protection of a rare native plant population that happens to grow in a truly spectacular waterfront setting within the nationally recognized Ebey's Landing Reserve,” said Patricia Powell, executive director of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust (WCLT). "We are looking forward to raising the funds necessary to acquire and permanently protect this property for recovery of the golden paintbrush plant."
SPU President Philip Eaton says the University is proud to join the Land Trust in preserving this special acreage. “Since the beginning of our ownership of Camp Casey , we have worked hard to be good citizens of Whidbey Island and good neighbors and stewards of this property,” says Eaton. “We are delighted the Land Trust will continue to protect it in perpetuity, not only for the golden paintbrush but also for Ebey's Landing Reserve and other conservation efforts. The sale is a good solution for the public, citizens on Whidbey and the University.”
Throughout the years, SPU has cooperated with numerous county, state and federal agencies, including Washington's Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), The Nature Conservancy of Washington (TNC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Washington State Department of Parks and Recreation, Audubon Society and the Trust Board of Ebey's Landing on a number of conservation and preservation concerns including the protection of golden paintbrush, Crockett Lake ecology, and landscape views and trails. SPU is selling the land to the Land Trust not only to support the conservation interests of the Whidbey Island community, but also as part of the University's plan to improve the financial viability of its conference facilities and programs and the remaining nearly 300 acres it owns at Camp Casey. SPU operates the Casey Conference Center , which is a year-round educational, recreational, retreat and conferencing center for nonprofit organizations such as schools, social agencies and churches. Thousands of children participate in outdoor education and sports at the Casey Conference Center each year.
The Whidbey Camano Land Trust, in partnership with the WDNR and TNC, has obtained a $1.5 million recovery land acquisition grant from the USFWS to assist in the purchase from SPU of this unique property. An additional $750,000 must be raised to purchase the site and establish a permanent management endowment to assist in recovery efforts. If fund-raising efforts are successful, the Land Trust will work with WDNR's Natural Heritage Program, TNC and the USFWS to help restore the site as part of Washington State 's C. levisecta recovery effort.
“This particular piece of land is key in the long-term protection and recovery of golden paintbrush,” said Doug Sutherland, Commissioner of Public Lands. “Most of the plant's native habitat has been converted to other uses. WDNR's Natural Heritage and Natural Areas Programs have been managing for golden paintbrush for two decades, and we see this partnership as a continuation of our commitment to working together to save the state's threatened species.”
C. levisecta , a showy yellow plant, is a federally Threatened and state Endangered plant species that was once widely distributed among the prairies of southern Vancouver Island , the San Juan Islands , Whidbey Island , southern Puget lowlands and the Willamette Valley . It is now mostly confined to small remnant populations on Whidbey Island and the San Juans. It is extinct in the Willamette Valley and limited to one population in the southern Puget lowlands. The SPU plant population is one of only five golden paintbrush populations that survive on Whidbey Island.
At one time, the population on the SPU property contained a high number of plants. However, in the late 1990s, the site experienced a rather steep decline in plant numbers. Restoring the population to a robust state will require relatively simple and low-cost maintenance, including removing trees and shrubs that have invaded the prairie area and providing fencing to discourage animal browsing. The federal recovery plan for the golden paintbrush specifies that the protection and proper management of all the remaining populations is critical to recovery of the species.
U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, in a letter expressing strong support for the acquisition of this site, said that, “Without protection of the Bocker {SPU} site, recovery efforts for Golden Paintbrush are in grave jeopardy. There are few opportunities left that can contribute in such a meaningful way to recovery efforts.”
Seattle Pacific University is a premier Christian university offering a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate academic program to more than 3,700 students. Founded in 1891, the University is located on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. For more information about SPU, visit its Web site at www.spu.edu.
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