It began by getting lost...
A group of Mountaineers came to the central Kitsap County area in 1909. A 'local walk' to view the blooming wild rhododendrons around Wildcat Lake began one of the Mountaineers Club's most important conservation efforts. The 'misguided' group of 66 Mountaineers wandered into the beautiful Hidden Valley Ranch and met S. Edward Pachall and his family, including daughters Mary and Patience. A fast friendship was forged on that day. The Mountaineers were taken with the natural beauty of the old growth cedars and firs, the beautiful blooming wild rhododendrons, the majesty of the spawning salmon, and rich verdant forest. They returned regularly to recreate and visit their new friends.
The Rhododendron Park
Through the efforts of Mountaineer, Peter McGregor and Peter Paschall, the Mountaineers Club purchased 74 acres of hill land next to Hidden Valley in 1915. The Rhododendron Park was intended as a place for Mountaineers to visit and enjoy, and to preserve the area from development. Over the years, members would buy tracts of property nearby for their own use. Some built small cabins to enjoy during their visits. The park had 409 registered visitors in its first 6 months, at a time when the club boasted a membership of only 400. The Preserve grew in size over the years to almost 200 acres, tthrough member donations and property acquisition. Kitsap Cabin and the Forest Theater were constructed on the property, along with other buildings, to maintain and promote the recreational use of the property by The Mountaineers Players and other Mountaineer Club activities.
Preservation, protection, and donations
Edward Paschall, the owner of Hidden Ranch, purchased 40 acres sometime during the 1930s, to help preserve the ancient Douglas Fir trees along Lost Creek . He and the Mountaineers could not bear to watch these magnificent trees fall to loggers. 3-acre strips of land were sold to Mountaineers Club members as a method of preserving them. As the owners of the ribbons grew older, they donated their parcels back to the Club to ensure their preservation in perpetuity. Edwards' 2 daughters, Mary (Paschall) Remey and Patience Paschall donated a total of 57 acres to the Preserve in 1955 and 1963. The following letter was written to Club President, Chester Powell in 1955:
Dear Mr Powell,
It has long been the dream of dwellers at Hidden Ranch to make permanent disposition of a portion of the forest immediately west of the original Mountaineer Rhododendron Preserve of seventy-four acres. For forty-eight years we have fought to protect this beautiful forested area from the encroachments of commercial interests. The fight must continue indefinitely.
My sister Patience and I feel that a conservation minded group such as the Mountaineers could best protect the last of the great trees and the wild life included in this area in the valley of Wildcat Creek. It would give us deep satisfaction to deed this property to the Club, hoping it might be preserved as a wilderness area for many years to come and serve to interpret the forest to coming generations of young people.
Down the years these forest ways have felt the feet of many lovers of wilderness; artists finding peace and strength from the big trees, botanists searching fungi, ferns or orchids, poets caught in the spell of the lavish rhododendrons, or the lone fisherman splashing softly through the unending loveliness of an April river. There are no words to capture values such as these.
Cordially yours,
Mary P. Remey
Patience L. Paschall
 Patience passed away in 1978, having lived at Hidden Ranch for over 70 years. Her sister Mary passed away in 1957. Patience's will bequeathed her property to the Mountaineers Foundation, subject to a lifetime occupancy to her tenant with custodial rights during that occupancy. Should the tenant ever vacate the property or die, it reverts immediately to the Foundation. This status makes Hidden Ranch a de-facto buffer to the Preserve. The Foundation will ensure that the great legacy of the Paschall family will be preserved by our stewardship of this precious gift.
The Mountaineers Kitsap Joint Venture
The Mountaineers Players were aware that the property immediately adjacent to the Forest Theater was owned by our neighbor. There was logging activity previously on that property. As the Club did not have funds to purchase the property in 1976, several members including Rita Berrian, Charles Clark, Gardner Hicks, W. Bruce McAllister, Morris Moen, Alice and Carl Nugent, R. L. Puddicombe, Irma Rodenhouse, Nedra Slauson, and William F. Zauche organzed a group to purchase the property. The group was paid back by fundraising efforts, proceeds of the plays and other menas in 1978 and the property was added to the preserve. Property to the west of the theatre again became available in 1982 and a group including Thomas E. and Barbara Jo Allen, Gardner W. Hicks, Miriam H. Lord, R. L. Puddicombe, Nedra G. Slauson, and William F. Zauche combined to make the purchase. They were paid back by 1986 and again the preserve was expanded. The efforts and contributions of these dedicated stewards means that the property immediately to the west of the Kitsap Forest Theater is forever protected from development.
Transfer to the Mountaineers Foundation
Washington State passed legislation allowing appropriate organizations to hold significant natural areas in conservancy status without a tax burden. The Nature Conservancy studied the Preserve and established it as a significant ecological resource. In 1985, the Mountaineers Club transferred ownership of 170 acres to the Mountaineers Foundation for preservation and study. The club retained ownership of the 20 acres that contains Kitsap Cabin and the Forest Theater.
Stewardship and buffer enlargement
The Foundation has enlarged the Preserve through property purchases made possible by cash donations, bequests, and donations of property. The Preserves present size is over 300 acres. The Foundation maintains a hiking trail on the property; the Charlie Vail 'Big Tree' Trail is about 1/2 mile long and starts near Kitsap Cabin, ending at one of the 10 largest Douglas Fir trees in the world (the second largest in Kitsap County). The new trail was re-constructed along a different alignment in 2004 and a new bridge over Wildcat Creek was constructed in 2006. We also completed a conservation easement in 2010 withour neighbor, Ueland Tree Farms, for an additional 100 acres. The Foundation also has workparties for non-native species elimination, trail maintenance, and removal of dumped garage. Countless people enjoy the trail and it also facilitates the Club's Salmon Safari kids education program.
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 dollars 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:
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