The Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve (NHR), created by Congress in 1978, is one of just a few places where much of the Northwest’s history is still evident on the landscape, appearing to today’s visitors much as it did a century ago. One hundred year-old farms are still active; forests are harvested; century-old buildings still serve as homes or businesses.

Most of the land within Ebey’s NHR is privately owned, including its farms, shops, and homes. The historic waterfront town of Coupeville, located within the Reserve boundary, still serves as the county seat. In the mid-1970s, most of Ebey’s prairie was subdivided into 5-acre house lots. Coupeville residents were torn over the prospect of losing the agricultural landscape, historic sites, and open space. They chose to support a new Reserve to preserve these values.

Unlike most National Parks, the 25 square mile Reserve mixes federal, state, county, and private property, all managed to preserve their historic integrity. Changes in the cultural landscape will continue but in a way that respects the past. Ebey’s partners are responsible for retaining the historic fabric; a Trust Board appointed from the community governs the Reserve. A Citizen’s Advisory Committee advises the Board. Local government uses zoning and design reviews to ensure that future growth is in keeping with the historic buildings and the landscapes that make Ebey’s Landing unique. 

USDI National Park Service, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Island County, Town of Coupeville, private landowners, local agricultural community, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust For Public Land, Whidbey Camano Land Trust, AuSable Institute (Christian Environmental Stewardship Institute), and Island County Historical Society.

The Trust Board and partners are actively protecting the Reserve’s historic and natural resources. The Board and The Nature Conservancy protected more than 600 acres of prime scenic and recreational land using the Land and Water Conservation Fund and more than $2 million in private donations.

Reserve partners use scenic easements as their principal protection tool. Easements keep the land in private ownership, on the tax rolls, and relieve the Reserve from managing thousands of acres. Local residents farm and manage lands that have easements, maintaining the historic landscape, sustaining local agriculture, and conserving open space. The Trust is looking at options to ensure that agriculture remains economically viable in the face of changing market conditions.