Whipple Creek Park has felt like a second home to Anita Will since the 1980s. After moving back from Olympia, Will founded the Whipple Creek Park Restoration Committee in 2011. Her and several volunteers worked tirelessly for years to revamp and maintain the trail.
Hikers and horseback riders will find themselves nestled in hundred-year-old trees once they step foot into Whipple Creek Regional Park, located at 17202 NW 21st Ave. in Ridgefield. This 340-acre playground features three loops and 4.3 miles of trails to explore.
Anita Will would do anything for Whipple Creek Park, and she is not alone.
“This is our little green jewel,” she said. “There’s just a very earthy, calming vibe underneath these trees and you just feel at peace. Even if you’re in a bad mood, you can come in here and it goes away real quick.”
Will moved back to Brush Prairie from Olympia a decade ago to find her favorite horseback riding trail in shambles. Years of rainfall had tarnished the mulch surface and turned it into a soupy mess. There were several spots where horses, bikers and hikers were getting stuck in the mud. It was getting to a point where the trail was almost impassable.
After assembling an army of enthusiastic volunteers, Will founded the Whipple Creek Restoration Committee in 2011. Together, they have worked tirelessly for years to fill those stopgaps with gravel and reroute the trails to make them safer for visitors.
“One of Anita’s superpowers is finding people to team up with,” said Whipple Creek Restoration Committee President Tyler Castle. “She’s been really great at networking. When she says she wants to do something, everybody knows that she’s serious because she doesn’t let up. Her foot’s on the gas the whole time.”
Today, Whipple Creek Park features three loops and 4.3 miles of trails to discover. Even though this 340-acre park is just a few miles west of the Clark County Fairgrounds, once people step into this forest filled with hundred-year-old trees, it feels like a whole new world away from town.
“It’s a storybook entry,” Castle said. “All the old books you read that had woods or anything, you picture that. Not the scary kind. Just peaceful, beautiful, enveloping, welcoming.”
Whipple Creek Park and its restoration committee is gaining national attention. In February, Will discovered a contest to win a John Deere skid steer tractor. She felt so proud of the work being done at Whipple Creek that she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get this committee on the map.
To her surprise, John Deere reached out to the committee and asked to film at the park and interview some of the key volunteers. Out of more than 400 entries across the country, Whipple Creek is one of three finalists with a group from Black Forest, Colorado, and another from New Port Richey, Florida.
“I was shocked when I got the notice that they were going to come all the way from Illinois and film us,” Will said. “I’m really hoping we can win this. It would be wonderful. There’s so many different places that skid steer could be used. Not just Whipple. There’s Battle Ground Lake, there’s Kalama, there’s Rock Creek. The possibilities are endless.”
Videos for all three finalists are available for viewing at impact.deere.com. Voting continues on that website through Sunday, June 24. On July 12, Will and Castle are going to the John Deere Classic in Moline, Illinois, to find out if they won the tractor.
“Please vote and share and have all of your friends vote,” Castle said. “Let’s win it for the Northwest and for Anita.”
Although the tractor would make a huge difference across the county, Castle, Will and other volunteers will continue to put their heart, soul and muscles into keeping Whipple Creek Park as beautiful as it is today for centuries to come.
“Whipple Creek Park is a special place. It brings out the best in me and my community,” Will said. “So many different groups enjoy it, and as the restoration grows and changes in the future, even more people will benefit.”
Frequent users of the Whipple Creek trail treat it like it’s their pride and joy. It’s more than just a cross-country course for the Ridgefield and Skyview high school teams. It’s their home and it must be taken care of. Castle said that it all goes back to Will and the love she has for this place.
“When community members use this beautiful park, you can see it on their faces. They look rejuvenated,” Castle said. “Anita Will is the driving force that pushed to make this park what it is today. She’s doing this for the whole community and for generations to come.”
