历史渊源与社区创建
Lake Wilderness Arboretum 位于美国华盛顿州金县 Maple Valley 市,坐落在 Lake Wilderness Park 内,具体地址 22520 SE 248th,毗邻西雅图都会区东南部。树木园的前身可追溯到 1890 年代 King County 最大的伐木营地,1926 年 Gaffney 兄弟 Tom 与 Kane 在湖畔购置土地并建造约 60 栋出租小屋,叠加 1950 年获奖的 Lake Wilderness Lodge 与 2400 英尺飞机跑道,使其在二战前后成为本地热门度假胜地;1964 年金县购入整片园区后,1965 年由保加利亚裔移民 George Tersiisky 联合 Kent 市长 Isabel Hogan、Ardis Johnson 与 Lillie Wagner 等社区人士,正式注册成立 South King County Arboretum Foundation 这一 501c3 非营利组织,在 1969 年获得金县公园局 40 余英亩开发授权,1970 年完成总体规划并由志愿者逐步实施,2003 年园区随 Maple Valley 一起建制划归市政府并更名为 Lake Wilderness Arboretum,2007 年基金会同步更名。
五大主题展示园与西部杜鹃花收藏
树木园现设五大主题展示区。Smith-Mossman Western Azalea Garden 是 LWA 的招牌园区,内含 1966 至 1981 年间由 Britt Smith 与 Frank Mossman 两位植物猎人从野外采集的西部杜鹃花插条培育而成的落叶杜鹃花 Rhododendron occidentale 收藏,是世界上规模最大的同类专类园之一,五六月花季时花香浓郁;Rock Garden 起初为高山植物区,后扩展为旱生与多肉耐瘠薄土壤的植物展示;Woodland Garden 在本土花旗松林冠下栽种日本枫树、红木树、杜鹃花、绣球、山茶、金缕梅与淫羊藿,呈现西北林地四季层次;Legacy Garden 保留太平洋西北知名园艺家 Loie Benedict 与 Marjorie Baird 私家花园中迁移来的落叶松、玉兰、山茶、杜鹃与嚏根草;Perennial Garden 以西北紫苏协会与西部紫苏协会捐赠的耐寒倒挂金钟为核心,搭配芍药、鸢尾与古典月季。
原住民植物步道与自然探索区
除五大展示园外,LWA 还维护 Tribal Life Trail 这条以普吉特湾原住民传统用途植物为主题的民族植物园步道,展示本地原住民在食物、药物、衣料与仪式中使用的传统植物;Children’s Discovery Forest 为儿童探索自然、读书与游戏而设,内设 StoryWalk 户外绘本阅读路径与两座 Little Free Libraries(分别位于 Legacy Garden 与儿童林);Forest Reserve 则保留园区原始林地,游客在五大园区中常可观察蚂蚁、蝙蝠与猫头鹰等本地野生动物。
教育合作与社区文化活动
LWA 的教育合作覆盖学龄前到高中阶段。Tahoma High School 植物科学课程多年以树木园作为户外课堂;园区长期承接一家森林户外幼儿园;每年夏季为不同年龄段儿童开设多种夏令营;高中学生以社区服务方式在此累计志愿小时数;Eagle Scout 服务项目与 Tahoma 学生转衔计划均以 LWA 为训练场地。社区活动方面,LWA 每年举办 Summer Stroll、StoryWalk 户外绘本朗读、Concerts at the Arboretum(2026 年 7 月至 9 月周二晚六点至七点在多年生园举行)、Maple Leaf Movement 主持的瑜伽课程、Emerald Theatre 带来的 Theatre in the Garden 户外剧,以及春、秋两季植物义卖(其中秋季义卖为西北紫苏协会年度评审展的举办地)。
基金会治理、志愿者与公众支持
LWA 由 Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation(LWAF)501c3 非营利基金会与 Maple Valley 市政府依联合使用协议共同治理。基金会董事会由主席 Kristin Haapasaari(King County 公园运营专员退休)、副主席 Ron Groepper(WSU Master Gardener 认证、加州凯撒医疗高级副总裁退休)、财务 Kim Holben(非营利会计 30 年经验)与秘书 Diane Barnes(其家族在 1960 至 70 年代曾接待 Smith 与 Mossman 两位采集人)组成,基金会每年发布 2021、2022、2023 年度报告 PDF 供公众下载。志愿者体系已运行 50 余年,每周三与周四上午九点至中午为常规 Garden Work Party 园丁工作日,部分周六上午同期开放,未成年人首次参与需家长签署志愿免责书。公众支持可通过 Individual / Family / Organization / Sponsor 会员、Affiliate Giving 与捐赠等多元渠道参与。
Heritage and Community Origins
Lake Wilderness Arboretum sits in Lake Wilderness Park at 22520 SE 248th in Maple Valley, King County, Washington, in Seattle’s southeastern metropolitan area. The site once hosted one of King County’s largest 1890s logging camps, was developed in 1926 by the Gaffney brothers Tom and Kane into a sixty-cabin resort, and later featured an award-winning Lake Wilderness Lodge with a 2,400-foot airstrip opened before an 8,000-strong crowd in 1950. After the resort’s decline in the 1960s, King County purchased the park in 1964. In 1965, Bulgarian immigrant George Tersiisky and supporters including Kent Mayor Isabel Hogan, Ardis Johnson, and Lillie Wagner incorporated the South King County Arboretum Foundation as a 501c3 nonprofit; the King County Parks Department granted 40+ acres in 1969, a 1970 master plan was enacted by volunteers, the land transferred to the newly incorporated City of Maple Valley in 2003, the site was renamed Lake Wilderness Arboretum, and the foundation became Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation in 2007.
Five Themed Display Gardens and Western Azalea Collection
The arboretum today features five themed display gardens. The Smith-Mossman Western Azalea Garden is the signature collection, holding deciduous western azaleas (Rhododendron occidentale) propagated from cuttings Britt Smith and Dr. Frank Mossman collected in the wild between 1966 and 1981, making it one of the world’s largest such collections, peaking in May and June with a musky sweet scent. The Rock Garden grew from an alpine garden into a broader drought-tolerant plant display. The Woodland Garden thrives under native Douglas firs with Japanese maples, redwoods, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, camellias, witch hazels, and epimediums. The Legacy Garden preserves plants from the personal gardens of Pacific Northwest horticulturists Loie Benedict and Marjorie Baird, including deciduous conifers, magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons, and hellebores. The Perennial Garden centers on hardy fuchsias donated by the Northwest Fuchsia Society and the Western Fuchsia Species Society, with peonies, irises, and old garden roses.
Ethnobotanical Trail and Natural Areas
Beyond the five display gardens, LWA maintains the Tribal Life Trail, a trail-style ethnobotanical garden showcasing plants used by Puget Sound native peoples for food, medicine, utility, clothing, and ceremony. Children’s Discovery Forest hosts outdoor exploration, a StoryWalk outdoor reading path, and two Little Free Libraries (one in the Legacy Garden and one in the forest). The Forest Reserve preserves original woodland, and visitors commonly spot ants, bats, and owls across all gardens.
Education Partnerships and Community Programming
Educational programs span preschool through high school. Tahoma High School plant science classes use the arboretum as an outdoor classroom; an outdoor preschool has long been based on site; summer camps of various kinds are hosted for different age groups; high schoolers complete community service hours here; Eagle Scout projects and the Tahoma Student Transition Program both use the site for job training. Community programming includes Summer Stroll, monthly StoryWalk Read-Alongs in partnership with the Maple Valley Library Guild and King County Library System, the Concerts at the Arboretum series (Tuesday 6-7pm in the Perennial Garden, July through September), Maple Leaf Movement yoga, Emerald Theatre’s pay-as-you-can Theatre in the Garden, and biannual plant sales (the fall sale hosts the Northwest Fuchsia Society’s annual judged show).
Foundation Governance, Volunteers and Public Support
LWA is jointly governed by the Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation (LWAF) 501c3 nonprofit and the City of Maple Valley under a Joint Use Agreement. The board includes President Kristin Haapasaari (retired King County Parks Operations Specialist), Vice President Ron Groepper (WSU Master Gardener and retired Kaiser Permanente Senior Vice President), Treasurer Kim Holben (30 years of nonprofit accounting), and Secretary Diane Barnes (whose family nursery hosted Smith and Mossman during their 1960s-70s collecting trips); the foundation publishes annual report PDFs for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The 50-plus-year volunteer program runs Garden Work Parties on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon, plus select Saturdays, with waivers required for all under 18. Public support is welcome through Individual, Family, Organization, and Sponsor memberships, Affiliate Giving, and donations.
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