HISTORY
THE PUTNEY WOODS are a 600 acre forest formerly managed by the
State of Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Previously known as the Goss Lake Woods, they encompass a
wide range of habitat. Pileated
woodpeckers,
hairy
woodpeckers,
downy
woodpeckers,
red-napped sapsuckers, barred owls, great horned owls, Cooper's
hawks, black tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, chickarees,
chipmunks, and flying squirrels, to mention just a few, call
these woods home. Stands of mature second growth Douglas fir,
western hemlock, western white pine, wild rhododendron, and
a large community of evergreen huckleberry provide forage
and shelter for these residents, an ever more valuable aquifer,
and solace for the many humans who go there to "recharge
batteries" depleted by our terribly modern world.
Over the years, local citizens have created in these woods
a complex network of trails for non motorized public
use. These
trails were built and are maintained by a dedicated group
of volunteers AT NO COST TO GOVERNMENT. The trails interconnect
with other trails on adjacent private lands, which the owners
have graciously opened up to the public. The Saratoga Woods
Preserve (see MAP)
further connects with these trails. Thousands of your fellow
citizens
enjoy these woods and trails each year.
In the spring of 2003, the DNR elected to
make a decision on whether to clear cut and sell the woods for
real estate development or to transfer them to Island County
for recreational
use. As they had on several other occassions, our members, along
with the Friends of Saratoga Woods and the Whidbey Camano
Land
Trust,
mounted
a campaign
to save this unique ecosystem. The DNR listened to our pleas,
and the Woods were transferred to Island County Parks Department
supervision. Once again, as nature created them, the Goss Lake
Woods and the Saratoga Woods became one.
A LOSS OF A FRIEND, AND A NEW NAME
In 2006, the Woods lost one of its greatest advocates and friends, Gary
Putney. His work on the trails system, his enthusiasm and energy for life,
and his straightforward manner were monumental and are sorely missed. As one
member of our group averred, he was everything John Wayne ought to have been,
but in real life. Early in 2007, the Island County Commissioners voted to rename
the Goss Lake Woods THE PUTNEY WOODS in his honor.
Click
here to download
a more complete history of the Putney Woods. |
