The Creation of the Forest Discovery Center
As we close in on the opening weekend for the Forest Discovery Center, it’s worth looking back at the efforts of the community members who’ve helped make the FDC a reality. In 2019, the Friends of the ACFL board first articulated the goal for a nature center during a strategic planning session, formalizing an idea that had floated nebulously around our community for years prior. This idea solved several problems: it provided new working spaces for a growing staff, created a foul-weather meeting point for forest programs, and could serve as a central hub for access to information about the ACFL.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Friends of the ACFL continued to expand programming and grow our team. In mid 2022, our staff grew to its current size with 4 full-time staff members and the need for new office space became critical. As staff began the hunt for a new location, a question quickly rose up: Why not reach for the nature center, too?
Quicker than we could have hoped, we acquired a space in the historic Platt Building in March 2024. With our storage and office needs met, and room to spare, it became clear that a version of the nature center might be within our grasp.
From the beginning, it was critical that the Forest Discovery Center reflected the far-reaching ACFL community. Throughout the spring, Friends began approaching community partners to form an advisory committee that would direct the development of our exhibits. This five-person committee, led by Community Programs Coordinator Ellie Kravets, included Bob Vaux (City of Anacortes), Denise Crowe (Samish Indian Nation), Jane Billinghurst (author), and Shannon Pickens (educator). Slowly一over meetings, brainstorming sessions, drafts, revisions, discussions, and debates一the Forest Discovery Center began to take form. Jamie Burroughs (City of Anacortes) stepped up to build us a mock trailhead kiosk. Kyle Bunker (Dakota Creek) began working on an intricate topographic map of protected lands on Fidalgo Island.
Exhibit installation and final drafting took place in October, and soon it was time to “truth” our exhibits amongst our wider Anacortes community. Many of you remember our soft opening last winter, and joined us to celebrate this new space to connect with the goings-on in the ACFL. For all who visited during those buzzing fall weekends, thank you! Lessons learned from that opening helped us craft a vision for the volunteer docents who have stepped up to help us run this space this summer.
The Forest Discovery Center would not be possible without the time and tireless energy of community members supporting this effort. For all those who have touched this space over the last year, thank you! If you haven’t had a chance to visit us yet, come on down! Our exhibits reopen June 13th, 12 - 4pm. We hope to see you there!