A BIG WIN FOR A SMALL PARK

The last time the Ted Olson Nature Preserve was expanded, in 2010, Nancy Norton helped clear trails with her kids. This time around, she led the campaign.  

In a whirlwind four-month effort, a neighborhood group rallied by Norton teamed with the Bainbridge Island Land Trust to add 2 acres to the north-end park. 

The $350,000 “Ted Olson Nature Preserve: Protect and Expand” campaign wrapped up last week with a ceremonial check passing to the Land Trust from the Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation, a $20,000-plus grant that helped push the effort over the top. 

“It’s been a great ‘COVID project,’” said Norton, whose family has enjoyed the north-end park for the past 18 years. “I was just really pleased that in spite of all the challenges people have had during COVID, we were able to raise this amount in such a short time. 

“It’s a true treasure,” she said of the quiet preserve. “We’re very lucky to have it, and I could not be more thrilled that we’re protecting it.” 

The campaign’s speedy conclusion – autumn barely turned the corner into the new year, and it was over – delighted everyone. 

“It was super fast. Rock star, right here,” said Cullen Brady, the Land Trust’s development director, gesturing to Norton. 

Ted Olson Nature Preserve was established in 1973 with the donation of 10 acres of woodland by Theodore Olson, whose family had owned the property since the turn of the last century. Another 5 acres were added in 2010, by neighbors working with the Land Trust. 

Along the way, local Boy Scouts developed a nature trail with help from the Bainbridge Island Garden Club and Bainbridge Metro Parks. The meandering trail winds through stands of Douglas fir and the rich, fecund understory of the Pacific Northwest forest. 

Last August, neighbors noticed clearing taking place on a private parcel across the park’s northeast boundary. The property was held by the estate of Jean Kallgren, who passed away in 2020, and was being prepared for sale as part of the estate. 

Norton approached the Land Trust, which secured a “statement of interest” for purchase from the Kallgren estate. Good timing – one more day, and the property would have gone on the market for development. 

“The post for the ‘For Sale’ sign went up,” Brady said. “It was close.” 

The Land Trust had completed the first Ted Olson addition a decade ago, so had a legacy interest in the new addition. Brady said the project met the Land Trust’s goals of expanding already-preserved properties and protecting wildlife corridors. 

Norton set up a chair at the park entrance and spent weekends greeting park users and passersby, handing out fliers and talking up the park addition. 

The Gibbons family donated a vintage 1953 pickup truck that was auctioned off to support the purchase. The truck was parked at Rolling Bay through the fall, a prominent billboard for the campaign. Donations of all sizes rolled in, and a thermometer sign at a trailhead charted progress. 

“Thankfully, the estate was very willing and eager to talk to us,” Norton said. “We have to give them a lot of credit. They could have put the property on the market much quicker and sold it, but they had the patience to work with us.” 

The Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation signed on in early December, pledging a $10,000 Community Grant if neighbors could raise the same amount in new donations by Jan. 10. They did, and a check for $20,453.99 was presented to the Land Trust last week. 

With that, the Ted Olson campaign was done. 

“This is a tremendous success for the neighborhood, and the Parks Foundation is pleased to be part of it,” said Barb Trafton, Parks Foundation executive director.

The Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District also contributed $50,000 to the campaign from its land acquisition fund. 

The new parcel will see some restoration and replanting, but no other changes or improvements are planned. The Ted Olson loop trail abuts the area that was cleared for sale, so the purchase was as much about protecting the preserve’s current amenities as adding to them. 

Longtime neighbor and trails steward Kirk Robinson noted that Ted Olson Nature Preserve is one of only three parks east of North Madison Avenue in the island’s northeast quadrant. Sitting “smack in the middle” between Fay Bainbridge and Manitou Beach parks, the preserve attracts users from around the area. 

“It’s got a high profile in this neighborhood,” Robinson said. “It’s got good walkable roads like Kallgren and Winthers that feed right into it. You get people with dogs on leash and with their kids. You see a quite large swath of folks using it.” 

PROJECT PARTNERS

Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District

Bainbridge Island Land Trust

The Ted Olson Nature Preserve is at 11800 Madison Avenue North, bounded by Kallgren and Winthers roads. Parking is off North Madison, with a second trailhead on Winthers Road.