Winkler

Guemes Island

On October 8, 2024, the San Juan Preservation Trust completed the donation of the 7.8-acre Winkler Preserve on Guemes Island. This generous gift from Helen Winkler permanently protects a remarkable forested property featuring 415 feet of marine shoreline along Square Harbor and diverse ecological habitats.  

The preserve spans a dramatic 500-foot elevation change and showcases exceptional ecological diversity, including a year-round freshwater alder wetland, mature Douglas-fir forest with old-growth characteristics, native grasslands and wildflower-studded herbaceous balds featuring camas and yampa, rugged cliff faces that offer potential raptor habitat, and a rich nearshore marine environment. The property also contains numerous culturally significant plants important to Coast Salish peoples, including Pacific yew, red huckleberry, and salal.  

The Winkler Preserve is directly adjacent to SJPT’s Grimm Preserve and near an extensive network of protected lands, including the Skagit Land Trust’s Guemes Mountain Preserve, the Preservation Trust’s Guemes Preserve, and multiple SJPT conservation easements. This clustering creates a vital ecological corridor on eastern Guemes Island.  

According to the management plan, Helen Winkler “believed this would be the best way to protect the natural beauty of the property with its wetland, shoreline, and beautiful view,” entrusting the organization to “determine the best way to preserve and protect the ecological value of the property.”  

The Preservation Trust will manage Winkler Preserve as a nature preserve, with stewardship focused on invasive species control, forest management, and habitat restoration while facilitating tribal, scientific, and educational access.