There is reason for celebration as well as concern this week on Central Whidbey as the Ebey’s Forever Conference honors the 30th anniversary of Ebey’s National Historical Reserve.
The reason to celebrate is obvious to anyone who drives, bicycles or walks the land of Central Whidbey, particularly Ebey’s Prairie. Even from busy Highway 20 it’s like peering into the past when the land was bucolic, farms were abundant, crops were lush and houses were homes. The farm country is spectacular and the surrounding hills and bluffs and the scenery they afford are beyond description. Artists descend on Central Whidbey each year for the Plein Air event but nobody can capture on canvas, film or memory card the great beauty of this place.
The fact that Ebey’s Reserve exists is a reminder of the tremendous vision displayed by Whidbey Island residents and our elected leaders 30 and more years ago. Protecting 17,572 acres of land is no easy task, particularly when it isn’t purchased outright as is the case with much National Park land. Instead, Ebey’s Reserve is a cooperative endeavor, requiring good faith efforts by the National Park Service and local government. It was an experiment at the time as it was the first such protective reserve partnership in the National Park system.
Islanders who have moved here since the Reserve was officially created in 1978 tend to take its existence for granted, but its creation was no easy task. As with any visionary endeavor, there was plenty of naysaying and emotional opponents. But most critics were mollified, supporters steadfastly held to their course and the job was finally accomplished.
For the past 30 years, the Park Service and Historical Reserve Trust Board have been working to buy conservation easements on private properties to assure they will never be developed or, when all else fails, to purchase threatened properties outright. Overall it’s been a success, although there have been losses of historical buildings and open spaces that disappeared despite efforts to save them.
Today, we still have a core community dedicated to preserving Ebey’s Reserve, but there are also unprecedented threats to its future. On the national level, the Park Service needs more funding but that’s unlikely in light of the present economy. Locally, there are doubts that Island County government is firmly committed to protecting the Reserve. Zoning was changed to 5 acres per dwelling, tempting landowners to break up their property. Too many historic buildings are being demolished and too much growth is encroaching from the outer limits of the Reserve. As the recent snafu over the “McMansion” allowed in the Reserve suggests, the Historical Reserve Board needs more authority and Island County needs to take protection of the Reserve more seriously.
While threats exists, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve remains a national treasure and after 30 years of existence it is time to celebrate. There are classes, conferences and tours coming up this weekend, but the best thing islanders can do for themselves and their families is simply to drive out there and look around. Take time to appreciate nature and marvel at what you have, thanks to those visionaries of the 1970s. Then pledge to yourself that you, too, will think of future generations and do your part to make Ebey’s Reserve and all of Whidbey Island something to be enjoyed for all time.
