Trillium Community Forest

• Status: Protected in 2010
• Location: South Whidbey
• Acreage: 654 acres

Public Benefits

Wildlife habitat and travel corridors, wetlands and streams, recreational trails, community open space, aquifer protection

Description

This extensive forest has a diverse mix of Douglas-fir and alder, with scattered big-leaf maple, western red-cedar, western hemlock and sitka spruce. There’s a lush understory in much of the forest area. In sections that were logged, young trees are growing. Some areas are dominated by alder and some by conifer. There are even sections with older trees up to 100 feet tall. Most of the property is flat to rolling topography with some higher, steep slopes on the west side. There are scattered moist to wetland plant communities in low-lying areas. Currently, there is a network of gravel and dirt roads and land survey lines. Some cleared sites have wonderful views to Admiralty Inlet and the Olympics.

Directions

Download directions (2nd page) and the trail map here (in pdf): map

Public Input

On May 12th, the Land Trust held a public meeting to gather input on managing the Trillium Community Forest. Check out materials from the meeting and share your comments here.

TRILLIUM UPDATE

Visit our Stewardship Page for the latest information about Trillium. Learn more about the continued stewardship of the property including the management plan and forest restoration projects.

PROTECTION FOR COMMON SPECIES

Protecting the Trillium Community Forest was important in so many ways. Providing habitat for the common species we take for granted was one critical reason. Ruth Milner, District Wildlife Biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, speaks eloquently about the importance of forests like Trillium in providing habitat for many common species.

“For those of us who are fortunate enough to live a bit of a rural life style, what would it be like in the summer if the salmonberry bird stopped singing? The salmonberry bird, more commonly known as the Swainson’s thrush is a common spring and summer inhabitant of shrubby thickets and young woodlands. Its song, a rolling series of rapid flute-like notes that rise up the scale, is one many people associate with warm summer evenings or early morning awakenings. This delightful singer is just one of a whole suite of common species that are disappearing as western Washington’s rural landscape changes to small hobby farms, housing developments and commercial sprawl.

Others who are dropping out as our lowland forests are converted to other uses include the rufous hummingbird, olive-sided flycatcher, Pacific-slope flycatcher, winter wren, Bewick’s wren, hermit warbler, pygmy owl, and Cassin’s vireo, to name just a few. These birds aren’t on the endangered species list; they aren’t specialists confined to a narrow habitat niche. They are common species who still do well where we allow their habitats to flourish.

Their problem is that those common habitats, such as western Washington’s second growth forests, are constantly being subjected to fragmentation and conversion to other uses. As their common habitat homes are altered, these species disappear. They don’t get much attention because their specialist cousins, like the spotted owl, an old growth forest obligate, are in such critical condition that conservation agencies must put all their time and money towards trying to save them, leaving little time to assess the fate of the species we think we can never lose.

And, it’s not just birds that are slipping away. The common bumble bee is now virtually gone in urban landscapes. You won’t find shy small mammals such as the red-backed vole or the mountain beaver (the oldest and most primitive mammal in North America) outside of a forest setting. The American shrew mole and Trowbridge shrew quickly become casualties to house cats and lawn mowers. Our predecessors could never imagine a day when the Northwest’s iconic species, salmon and Orca whales, would obtain listing status under the Endangered Species Act. These were the common species of their generation.

We must think ahead to future generations. It’s essential that we recognize the fact that what’s common today could easily become rare in the future. That’s why protecting second-growth lowland forestland today will help assure protection of the species that live there forever.”

PROJECT STORY

The 654-acre property was locally known as Trillium since it had been owned by the Trillium Corporation. But for some that name carried bitterness because of vigorous public opposition to the corporation’s logging of the forest decades ago. Around 2001, the Trillium Corporation transferred its interest in the property. It was then sold to developers who pursued development of more than 124 homesites. Due to the downturn in the economy in 2008, the developers failed to make their loan payments and the property was foreclosed by Shoreline Bank.

In 2010, the bank offered the Whidbey Camano Land Trust an option to buy the property. It seemed impossible – a nasty economy, a $4+ million purchase price, and only a few months to make it happen. In good Whidbey Island fashion, the broader community rallied, raising awareness and then the needed funds. As the word spread through newspapers, broadcasts, and the internet, hundreds of people donated to the Land Trust’s Save the Forest Now campaign. In just six months, from March through September 2010, the Land Trust raised the money needed to purchase the land and make it a community forest – for people and wildlife. On September 29, as the ink dried on the closing documents, people began asking the question—now what should we call this forest?

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust asked for nominations. Via email, letters, and forms dropped by the office, the names came in. The submissions varied widely. Some were playful and many serious; some brief and a few long. Nearly all had explanations and a few had attachments. Out of the many suggestions, a wonderful picture emerged of a community engaged with the forest and energized by the shared effort to protect this special place on Whidbey Island. The Naming Committee met, agreed to a process of discussion, consensus and documentation of the rationale behind its decision, and arrived at a final recommendation. In its report to the Board, the Committee said,

“We loved reading these nominations. People were so excited about this whole project.”
“These nominations reflect the community’s passion and interest. We can’t lose sight of this.”

The committee chose the name Trillium Community Forest for several reasons.

The committee recognized that many people in the community already knew this property as Trillium, but that word meant different things to different people. One nomination read , “I think the name Trillium represents the uniqueness of the woods, the challenges of keeping it “rooted” and well-tended so it will flourish, and its simple beauty.” The committee acknowledged that trilliums are not currently found on the property, but they might be planted there, and the plant’s beauty and appeal makes it a good choice for a name. But, even more so, the committee found that, “The name Trillium is part of the story. When you say the name, you can tell the story.” “It takes possession of the name and embodies what has happened here.” Another committee member said, “It is not just about the past. The name says what it means to all of us now.”

The committee felt that the word Community should be in the name because community means people working together and because the forest is open to everyone. Also, the community saved it and will be taking care of it long into the future. As the committee explained, “By adding the word “Community” to the final selection, we’re acknowledging that this forest has been and will continue to be dedicated to both human and wildlife pursuits for many generations to come.”

The committee chose the word Forest because that is what it is—a huge, uninterrupted, expanse of trees and wildlife habitat.

The committee members all admitted that they had hoped they would find a new and perfect name for this special property, but in the end, they all agreed that the name being recommended truly reflected ‘what we did together’. “The name tells the story of the property, the ownership, the history, the people involved—so many different people—it’s a great story.”

A thoughtful, deliberate process reflected on the 95 nominations, the forest itself, and the community of more than 1500 people who made permanent protection of the Trillium forest a reality. Now, we enter a new chapter on Whidbey and begin, as a community, to care for this precious asset.

Welcome to the Trillium Community Forest.

Read the history of this project at savetheforestnow.org.

Download the trail map here (in pdf): map