By EDITH SEHULSTER
For The Beachcomber
As I look back on my year as president of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust, it’s with feelings of both exhilaration and exhaustion. In 2007 — the land trust’s 19th year — each month presented a new opportunity to conserve our Island’s natural resources. By the end of the year, we had celebrated new protections for 296 acres.
Like any organization that survives and prospers for nearly two decades, we tip our hats to our founders — those creative and energetic Islanders who got the land trust up and running and who shepherded us to where we are today.
Our first board chair was founder Emma Amiad, and the original board included Jill Andrews, Charlie Backus, Trish Howard, Ellen Kritzman, Robin Hume, Susie Kalhorn, Yvonne Kuperberg, Rayna Holtz, Chris Crecelius and Eugene Smith. Dave Warren was our first director, succeeded by Julie Burman and, now, Tom Dean.
Hundreds of others have shown their support for the land trust’s mission over the years — by volunteering for work parties, by serving on the board and by writing checks, large and small. The Vashon Park District and King County have each been willing and helpful partners in several projects. Bravo to you all!
It’s tempting to measure the land trust’s success in the number of acres that have been preserved for generations to come. Last year, we crossed an important threshold — 1,000 acres of ponds, streams, forest and shoreline preserved.
We can also point to examples of crucial Vashon and Maury habitat that will remain forever in a natural state thanks to Land Trust action. Jewels such as Whispering Firs Bog, Lost Lake and Fisher Pond. Island Center Forest, with its network of trails and its importance in recharging our drinking water aquifer. Important sections of the Shinglemill and Judd watersheds, along with vital segments of these salmon-bearing creeks.
For me, a sure sign that we’re on the right path is the broad base of continuing and growing support for the land trust’s mission year after year from hundreds of Island households. We couldn’t have done it without you. That’s not just rhetoric. That’s a fact.
What’s on the horizon? We’re moving ahead in several areas, large and small. Obviously, we remain committed to identifying and preserving critical habitat and the most threatened areas of Vashon-Maury. We’re doing this in a thoughtful, systematic way that emphasizes protection of ecosystems rather than simply grabbing acreage that becomes available.
We’re restoring land that’s been damaged by destructive clearing, invasive species, storms and erosion. A prime example is the network of logs we have placed into Shinglemill Creek over the past two summers, which slows the torrential stream flow after heavy rains and provides improved salmon spawning areas.
We’re committed to increased community access to preserved areas. We’re building more trails, and we’ll continue to offer our popular guided tours of these areas. In addition, we’ll produce more maps so you can walk and explore on your own. Four handsome maps, covering 11 miles of trails, are available now at the land trust’s office on Bank Road.
Finally, we intend to encourage a “culture of conservation” that is broader than the traditional view of land preservation. We live in a region of exploding population with resulting pressures on water and air quality as well as land values. Identifying open space for affordable housing projects, sustainable farming practices in our precious watersheds and individual forest stewardship on private properties are all areas where the land trust’s mission overlaps with others in our community.
Join with us to focus our efforts on conservation of our scarce resources — land, water, fuel, food, sustainable economies. We welcome you as member, donor or volunteer. The circle is open, and the opportunities are endless, in the next 20 years and beyond.
— Edith Sehulster serves on the board of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust and just completed a one-year term as the land trust’s president.
Buy a tree, support the trust
The land trust’s annual tree sale — where Islanders can choose from a wide array of native trees and shrubs — will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12. The sale will take place at the Land Trust Building at 10014 S.W. Bank Rd. Islanders can pick up pre-orders or make same-day purchases.
