Even on the warmest or windiest days, the woods of Earth Sanctuary on south Whidbey Island are hushed and still. On wet days, rain percolates through the layers of leaves and needles to drip silently onto fern, salal and moss. The canopy stretches over acres, sheltering a restoration project of startling scale. Beneath the branches of firs, hemlocks and alders, 4,800 newly installed native trees and plants are growing up to rejuvenate land logged over just 20 years ago. Wildlife is flocking to the nature reserve, finding homes in the quiet ponds, the boggy fen and carefully preserved tangles of undergrowth.
- Valerie Easton, The Seattle Times