In honor of Billy Frank Junior’s birthday, I visited the Outdoor Classroom this week. It’s a short loop trail with a boardwalk and a deck overlooking Maxwelton Creek. Yet this small site has had a lasting impact on our local community. Maxwelton is the largest watershed on Whidbey Island. The headwaters are near Highway 525. Its course weaves south through the valley among homes, farms, beaver ponds, and reed canary grass all the way to Maxwelton Beach. In the 1850’s the creek was thick with salmon, but dikes, tide gates, and development have significantly altered the landscape. The Outdoor Classroom was established thirty years ago to help protect and restore the creek and educate students and watershed residents. The project started with two teachers whose students raised salmon in their classrooms. After a few months, the growing fish needed to be released into a stream. Creek side property owners allowed the students to come and free their fry. When a few acres came up for sale on Maxwelton Creek the teachers formed a non-profit organization, Maxwelton Salmon Adventures. The community donated money, energy, and materials to buy the property, build a classroom and make trails and learning stations. People who made donations got their names on a colorful ceramic fish plastered to the side of the building. When the effort was expanded to other watersheds, the name was changed. Whidbey Watershed Stewards has worked on restoring Robinson Beach, Old Clinton Creek, and the Freeland Wetland Preserve where there’s another trail that’s open to the public. Over thirty years many students have visited the Outdoor Classroom. An education director trains volunteer instructors. Classes of K-5 students rotate through three stations, one on the creek, one in the classroom and one on the trails. Each season students focus on different aspects of the natural environment. They study the stream, birds, native plants, mushrooms, and of course, salmon. The fish raised in the classroom are still released at the site each year. On my recent walk, the trails were littered with branches from winter storms. The stream was dark brown with foam piled in the corners due to it passing through a peat bog in the valley. At the classroom I could see teaching materials stacked inside. And there were signs of spring. Indian plum bloomed in the sun. Skunk cabbage emerged in the wetlands. Chickadees foraged in the treetops. I sat on a bench and listened to the murmuring creek. A work party is planned to clean up the site. Next month volunteers will undergo training and classes will begin. Years ago this was one of my usual and accustomed places. I was one of those educators, leading small groups in learning activities. Most classes come once or twice a year through elementary school. By the time they reach fifth grade they have a good understanding of the importance of wildlife habitat. It gives me hope. For those who don’t know, Billy Frank Jr. was a member of the Nisqually Tribe who fought for Native American fishing rights in the 60’s and 70’s. Due to declining populations of salmon there was an all-out war over fish. Billy Frank was first arrested for illegal salmon fishing when he was just fourteen. He went on to become an activist and spokesperson for his people. The case over treaty fishing rights went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1974 Judge George Boldt affirmed that Washington State tribes had the right to fish in their “usual and accustomed places” as was stated in the treaties. The Boldt Decision made the twenty treaty Indian tribes in western Washington co-managers of the salmon fisheries along with the State of Washington. Billy Frank Jr. served as chairman of the Fisheries Commission for over thirty years bridging the cultural divide and working on environmental sustainability on behalf of all of us. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015. To learn more about the Whidbey Watershed Stewards and the Outdoor Classroom, or to volunteer visit here. Maribeth Directions: From Highway 525, 4 miles north of Clinton on South Whidbey, turn south on Maxwelton Road and drive 3.4 miles. You'll pass Erickson Road just before the Outdoor Classroom sign on the left. French Road is just beyond. Take a moment to look at the beautifully carved sign by Pat McVay.
Bus and Bike: There is no bus service to the Outdoor Classroom at this time, but it's an easy 3.4-mile bike ride on a wide shoulder along Maxwelton Road. Two or three bikes will fit on a bus bike rack. The fare free Route 1 bus will stop at Maxwelton Road and Highway 525 Monday-Saturday. For a schedule click here. Mobility: The trails are flat but narrow with roots and branches that may pose a problem in places. The boardwalk is wide enough for a wheelchair and the covered deck has benches overlooking the creek. There are no restrooms.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
April 2024
Categories
All
|