A new opportunity with very old roots.

Looking for big reasons to support the Land Trust’s ambitious Stand for the Land movement? Look no further. The gorgeous 15-acre Cougar Creek preserve above Eagle Harbor was once owned by Captain William Renton and is now home to some of the largest and most magnificent western red cedar trees on the Island. A flowing stream and serene pond enhance the undisturbed forest habitat. Our trail cameras have snapped photos of families of deer and raccoons foraging, great blue herons wading, coyotes, opossums, and even a black bear! Red-legged frogs, Pacific chorus frogs and northwestern salamanders lay their eggs in the pond, and the frogs can be heard in full chorus on spring evenings. Pileated woodpeckers and barred owls are also frequently heard from the public access trail, which connects Blakely Avenue NE to Old Mill Road NE and passes by the pond.

As described by a Land Trust volunteer familiar with the Preserve: “The parcel feels remote and even bigger than it is: big logs, dense undergrowth (native, not invasives!), and huge 5 and 6-foot diameter red cedar and western hemlock trees. On the property, I savored a true, natural Northwest forest, undisturbed for a long time. The property contains some of the largest trees on Bainbridge Island and an undisturbed garden of deer ferns. In the stream bottom area is an extensive grove of large western red cedar, and nestled in its heart is a big garden of solid deer ferns, something I haven’t seen elsewhere on the Island. Put all this together with the stream, pond, and wetlands that characterize the property, and you have a parcel that contains a lot of diversity and feels big and wild.”