Located in central Kitsap County, The Mountaineers Foundation's 460-acre Rhododendron Preserve is a rare example of Puget Sound lowland, old-growth forest.

The Rhododendron Preserve is a pristine habitat of great scientific interest and beauty.  Streams crossing the property are host to several species of salmon which can be seen spawning from August to late fall.  Their skeletons can be found on the banks under the alders and maples until spring, when small animals chew them for the calcium they provide for their own bones and milk for their young.

Above the streams are stands of old growth fir, cedar, hemlock and pine.  In some areas, the trees are one- to two-hundred years old; in other areas three- to four-hundred years old, with many specimens three to five feet in diameter at chest height.  Salmonberry, salal, Oregon grape, swordfern, devil’s club, huckleberry and rhododendron blanket the forest floor, often to a depth of six feet or more.  Rhododendrons are everywhere, blooming in late May and early June.  Mosses and lichens add color and texture to the area.

It is one of the largest remaining examples of lowland old growth forest in the Puget Sound basin, containing four distinct forest plant communities within its boundaries.  To quote from Lynn Cornelius, Preserve Design Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, “This area is clearly one of the best examples remaining of mature and old-growth southern Puget Trough lowland forest.  Once covering many thousands of acres, examples of these forests greater than 10 acres in relatively undisturbed condition are now quite rare.”

Why is it important?

The Rhododendron Preserve is important because it is one of the largest remaining examples of lowland virgin forest in the Puget Sound basin. It contains four distinct forest plant communities within its boundaries and is crossed by streams used by several thousand spawning salmon each year. The large undeveloped area in the middle of the Chico Creek drainage basin is important to the continued preservation of the salmon run. One area contains stands of pine resistant to blister rust which has destroyed so much pine in the Puget Sound region. We understand more about why these trees have survived while others have not, and why it is important to preserve them for study.

This marvelous wild land will be difficult to protect unless certain adjoining properties, threatened by development, are acquired. Some of this land is along a lovely creek, worthy of inclusion in its own right. Other parcels are in comparatively young coniferous forest, essential to protect the Preserve’s old growth trees from windthrow in severe storms.
To quote Lynn Cornelius again: “... these forests could serve as important buffer zones to protect the intact natural forest areas from the undesirable potential effects of future logging activities, biocide use, development, vandalism, timber poaching, destructive recreation, and windthrow.”

How can I help?

Donations of money are urgently needed, and all donations are tax-deductible. Adequate protection of the Rhododendron Preserve will take many hundreds of thousands of dollar over many years. In many cases a gift of securities or other property is more advantageous to the giver for tax reasons. Another important way to help the Foundation is to make it the beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of insurance policies. A contingent beneficiary will receive the payment if the beneficiary is no longer living. Your attorney can explain the various options for a bequest in a will, such as a specified amount, a percentage of the estate, a charitable remainder trust, etc. A gift to The Mountaineers Foundation for the purchase of property to protect the Rhododendron Preserve is a gift to future generations and, in addition to our children, is probably as close as most of us will ever come to a little bit of immortality.

Contact us about donation options or make a donation online today:

*Illustrations from Northwest Trees 
by Stephen Arno and Ramona Hammerly
The Mountaineers, Seattle, 1977