More than 50 people, including islanders and members of King County’s parks department, gathered at Vashon’s newest community forest, Frogholler Forest, last Saturday for a dedication ceremony.
King County Parks’ David Kimmett and Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust Executive Director Tom Dean were joined in their speeches by islander Marie Bradley, an equestrian who has been instrumental in the upkeep of the community trails that existed on the property before the county’s acquisition. Kimmett opened the event by remarking on the fact that opening a brand new site is “a very rare event.”
“We have a pretty robust open space acquisition program. A lot of times it adds to existing sites we have. It’s just rare that we get to open a brand new site,” he said before explaining that after looking at a map of Vashon and noticing the south end lacked conserved land and forests, the county was inspired to pursue the Frogholler purchase.
He said the county’s goal is to eventually expand Frogholler Forest to 200 acres.
“This will be here forever for all of our grandkids and their kids and on and on,” he said.
The parcel was purchased from the Doane family by the Land Trust in December, which then handed it off to King County.
Dean thanked the Doanes for their patience during the process at Saturday’s ceremony before they were awarded with a mock-up of the Frogholler Forest sign.
He also talked about the importance of the new forest and the county’s conservation efforts in the current political climate.
“King County is your backstop. This federal government is slashing funding for conservation,” he said, noting that he has already lost EPA funding. “This forest was paid for by the state of Washington thanks to Sharon Nelson. Sharon is down in Olympia where I guarantee you they are slashing conservation projects right and left. If you think there’s more state money coming to Vashon in the next two years, you are mistaken. King County is your backstop for conservation on this island. They’re it … for the next four years.”
The Saturday event concluded with remarks from Bradley, who joked she has been “trespassing on this property for 30 years.”
“I’m especially thankful to the Doanes. Their dad gave me permission, so it wasn’t really trespassing,” she said. “They’ve been so generous with this land.”
She also invited those using the forest to help keep it usable by trimming overgrown plants and alerting the county to any large issues.
The forest is open to the public and is located east of Wax Orchard Road between Camp Sealth Road and Bates Walk. Vehicles are advised to park on Wax Orchard Road.
