创立背景与 Bloedel 家族传承
位于美国华盛顿州 Bainbridge 岛北端的 Bloedel Reserve 自然保护区, 是 Prentice Bloedel 与夫人 Virginia 在 1951 年购置的私人庄园, 经过逾三十年的悉心营造, 最终于 1988 年正式向公众开放, 成为一座占地 140 英亩的公共花园与森林保护区。Prentice Bloedel 早年毕业于耶鲁, 曾承袭家族林业生意, 是将「循环再利用」概念引入锯木厂与纸浆厂的先驱者之一, 其「再造林」理念在美国林业史中具有开创意义, 退休后便将毕生精力投入到景观雕琢之中, 借助 Thomas Church、Richard Haag、Fujitaro Kubota、Iain Robertson 等知名景观设计师之手, 在太平洋西北原生森林中「编织」出多段彼此呼应的园林体验。
Suquamish 部落与土地承认
保护区所在的土地在 Bloedel 家族购置之前, 早已承载了 Suquamish 原住民世代栖居的厚重历史, 这片被称为「Clear Salt Water 之民」所守护的中央 Salish 海流域, 是保护区今日自然景观得以延续的根基。Bloedel Reserve 在官方「土地承认」声明中明确表达了对 Suquamish 部落的深切敬意, 并承诺以可持续的方式继续滋养这片土地及其周边水域, 让原始森林、林缘草地与海湾湿地在世代之间保持繁茂, 这种对原住民历史与自然遗产的双重尊重, 已成为机构日常运营与教育推广的核心价值之一。
23 处主题景观与 Puget Sound 海湾视野
整个园区由 23 处彼此相连又各具性格的园林节点组成, 游客沿约 2 英里长的砾石与树皮步道环行, 便能从林缘逐步走入开阔草甸、再深入日式庭园与原生水岸, 沿途交替呈现倒影池、日式庭园、鸟禽沼泽、传粉草地、林缘草甸与采石庭院等不同主题, 每一处都映射出 Prentice Bloedel 心目中「人与自然对话」的不同切面。从 Jenson 观景点远望, 西雅图都会天际线与 Puget Sound 蓝色水域相映成趣, 让园林景观与海湾自然成为一体, 这种「森林、湿地、园林、海湾」四位一体的格局, 在北美公共园林中并不多见。
开放参观、票务与无障碍设施
Bloedel Reserve 全年开放 (周二至周日, 风雨无阻), 实行定时入场票务以保障游园体验, 游客可在线预订时段票, 当日若有余票亦可在现场购买 (附加小额手续费), 建议入园时间不晚于闭园前 90 分钟。园区配备可供轮椅与婴儿车通行的平整路面, 半程位置的主屋 (Residence) 与门房 (Gatehouse) 均设有无障碍卫生间, 访客地图提供英、印、日、中、西、乌尔都六种语言版本, 携带宠物与野餐出于保护野生动物考虑不被允许, 注册服务犬则可在登记后随行入园。
会员机制、IDEA 倡议与公众参与
保护区通过会员制与社区项目维持运营, 会员可全年免费入园, 享受每日首末时段专属名额、美国园艺学会 (AHS) 380 余处合作花园的互惠待遇、园内商店九折优惠以及工作坊与讲座优先报名权。「包容、多元、公平、无障碍」(IDEA) 倡议是机构重要的长期承诺, 「博物馆全民项目」与每周三 pay-what-you-wish 开放日让更多首次接触自然园林的公众得以低成本体验, 创意驻留项目、艺术漫步、亲子植物认领等系列活动则将自然之美延伸至课堂与社区, 形成一座兼具保护、研究、教育三重使命的城市近郊自然庇护所。
Founding Background and the Bloedel Family Legacy
The Bloedel Reserve, located on the north end of Bainbridge Island in Washington State, traces its origins to a 140-acre private estate acquired by Prentice Bloedel and his wife Virginia in 1951, developed over more than three decades before opening to the public in 1988 as a public garden and forest preserve. Prentice Bloedel, a Yale-educated heir to a Pacific Northwest timber fortune, was a pioneer of reuse and reforestation in the American lumber industry, and in retirement devoted himself to sculpting the landscape with noted designers including Thomas Church, Richard Haag, Fujitaro Kubota, and Iain Robertson, weaving distinct garden experiences through native Pacific Northwest forest.
Suquamish Land Acknowledgement and Stewardship
The land on which Bloedel Reserve rests has sustained the Suquamish People, the People of the Clear Salt Water, since time immemorial, and the Reserve formally acknowledges this heritage in its public statements and educational programs. The organization pledges to nurture both the land and the waterways of the Central Salish Sea for present and future generations, recognizing that the ecological richness of Bainbridge Island is the product of long-term Indigenous stewardship. This dual recognition of Indigenous heritage and natural legacy informs every aspect of the Reserve’s conservation, horticulture, and community engagement work.
Twenty-Three Distinct Landscapes with Views of Puget Sound
The Reserve is composed of twenty-three distinct landscape settings, threaded together by an approximately two-mile loop of bark and gravel trails that winds from forest edge into meadow, then onward to Japanese garden, marsh, and shoreline. Visitors encounter reflective pools, a Japanese garden, a bird marsh and pollinator meadow, moss gardens, and the Residence overlook in sequence, each expressing a different facet of Prentice Bloedel’s vision for dialogue between people and nature. From the Jenson viewpoint, the Seattle skyline frames the blue waters of Puget Sound, integrating designed landscape with regional seascape in a configuration that is unusual among North American public gardens.
Visiting, Timed Ticketing, and Accessibility Services
Bloedel Reserve welcomes visitors year-round, Tuesday through Sunday and in all weather, using a timed-entry ticketing system that supports a peaceful experience and adequate parking; advance online booking is recommended, with limited on-site tickets available when not sold out. The trail loop includes paved sections suitable for wheelchairs and strollers, with accessible restrooms at both the Gatehouse and the Residence, and visitor maps offered in English, Hindi, Japanese, Simple Chinese, Spanish, and Urdu. Pets and picnicking are not permitted in order to protect wildlife, while registered service animals are welcome on the grounds after check-in.
Membership, IDEA Initiative, and Community Programs
The Reserve is sustained through memberships, donations, and a broad program of community engagement; members enjoy year-round free admission, members-only time slots at the start and end of each day, reciprocal benefits at more than 380 gardens in the American Horticultural Society network, a ten percent discount in the on-site shop, and priority access to workshops and lectures. The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Initiative underpins the Reserve’s commitment to welcoming new audiences, with Museums for All and pay-what-you-wish Welcome Wednesdays lowering the threshold for first-time visitors, while Creative Residencies, nature walks, plant identification activities, and conservation workshops extend the garden’s reach into classrooms and neighborhoods across Bainbridge Island and greater Puget Sound.
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