Towering trees on the south end of Vashon Island will now be preserved for generations to come, thanks to a purchase by King County.
Forty acres of forest on the 96-acre Morningside Farms property was purchased by the county in late March for a total of $1,545,580.
According to David Kimmett, natural lands program project manager at King County Parks, the acquisition of the property was part of the county’s Land Conservation Initiative – a regional partnership in identifying and protecting urban green space, trails, natural lands, rivers, farmlands and forests.
Morningside Farms has a distinctive history – the 96-acre property was built by Richard and Margaret Young in 1980, where they raised Morgan horses.
The Youngs were also active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the LDS church, and donated the Morningside Farms property to the LDS church in Dec. 1997.
The LDS church, according to reporting in 2012 by The Beachcomber, had plans to open a “rustic camp” for teenage girls. The camp would have included cabins, an amphitheater and sports fields.
However, the church reduced the scope of their plans for the camp, using existing structures and adding platforms for tents and a bathhouse with showers.
According to King County property records, the church later sold Morningside Farms in Feb. 2022 to a Vashon couple, Jed Gorden and Sara Manetti, who purchased the property in its entirety for $3.3 million.
Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust Conservation Director Tom Dean calls the Vashon couple “angel investors,” as the Land Trust and King County had made an offer to purchase Morningside last fall from the LDS church, but their offer was declined.
However, with the Vashon buyers selling the land to King County, Dean is now eager to see “really incredible recreation opportunities” open up at Morningside Farms – though the land is not yet ready for the public to come visit.
The property had also been on Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust’s radar for years, said Dean, as only a handful of large properties are still privately held on Vashon.
Kimmett also stressed that Morningside Farms is not yet ready for the public to visit, and the county plans to acquire property along 131st Ave SW to construct a trailhead parking facility, as Morningside already has an existing trail network.
“Hopefully, the trailhead will be constructed and open sometime in mid to late 2023,” said Kimmett in an email to The Beachcomber. “This new forest site will provide another opportunity for public hiking in a beautiful forest setting.”
