WHIDBEY ISLAND — They prayed for the woods. They ate and drank beer for the woods. They ran through the woods and rode their horses there.
Supporters of the effort by Whidbey Camano Land Trust to buy and preserve a 664-acre forest near Freeland did it all, said spokeswoman Petra Martin.
“The fundraising effort was amazing,” Martin said. “But it’s not over yet. We haven’t quite reached the $4.2 million goal.”
With less than a week to go before the deadline issued by the banks that own the property, the Land Trust is still trying to raise $525,000. One donor is willing to throw down an additional $100,000 if the pledge can be matched by someone else.
More than 1,000 groups and individuals donated to the effort to save the last large contiguous woods on Whidbey Island. The people who pitched in live on the island, in other parts of the state, in other states and even in other countries.
“Some donations have come from people who have never set foot on Whidbey Island,” Martin said.
Should the Land Trust not meet its fundraising goal by Friday, the nonprofit’s board is considering a few options, including the purchase of fewer acres or a bridge loan that would buy the group a little more time to raise the final half-million dollars.
“We don’t want to have to go to a loan,” Martin said. “We’re exhausted and want to be done.”
If the Land Trust gives up, the forest most likely would be sold in small parcels and developed. If the goal is reached, the property would be given to Island County, with the Land Trust holding a conservation easement.
Recreational uses allowed in the forest could include hiking, bird watching, mountain biking, horseback riding and hunting. The woods also would provide a home for native plants and animals.
Detractors of the idea believe that Island County needs the tax revenue that might be produced by building more houses on the property. Others say the county isn’t in the financial shape to manage the woods.
However, many groups, including hunters and hikers, have stepped forward to volunteer for maintenance duty and money has been raised to pay for stewardship, Land Trust officials said.
Commonly known as the Trillium woods, the property was owned for a time by the Trillium Corp., a Bellingham-based real estate and forestry company. The forest was last logged in 1988. In recent years, the property was sold to developers and subdivided into 124 lots. Soon after, it fell into foreclosure, and is now owned by several banks.
With the finish line drawing near, the Land Trust is celebrating the efforts of those who raised $3.675 million.
“The goal is in sight,” said Tom Cahill, president of the Land Trust’s board of directors. “But we still need the help of everyone to make permanent protection of the woods a reality.”
Beyond car washes and bake sales, people came up with some innovative fundraisers.
Business owners sold pet wash services, antiques, gym memberships and beer for the cause. Horse riding groups served up family-style ranch dinners.
The children of Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church contributed the offering they gathered over the course of several Sundays. Three 4-H horse groups raised $6,600. South Whidbey Elementary School students donated the coins from their wishing well.
Other nonprofits pitched in, including the Lummi Island Heritage Trust. Whidbey-based novelist Elizabeth George donated $100,000 and challenged others to follow her.
One of the most encouraging events this summer, said Land Trust staffer Elizabeth Guss, was a prayer service for the woods that brought together people from Langley United Methodist Church, St. Hubert Catholic Church, Whidbey Unitarian Universalist Church and St. Augustine’s in the Woods Episcopal Church.
“All people who understand the solace of the forest,” Guss said.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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