Friends of Fort Worden

Fort Worden Conservancy Approved!

As part of the planning and implementation effort to help revitalize and develop Fort Worden State Park as a Center for Life-long Learning, the Friends of Fort Worden proposed an amendment to the By-laws to become the Fort Worden Conservancy (FWC). The amendment was voted on and passed at the Annual Member meeting on Friday, January 27, 2012.

The goal of the Fort Worden Conservancy (FWC) is to achieve national recognition of Fort Worden State Park as a Center for Lifelong Learning and a premier historic cultural and educational destination. As part of the planning and implementation effort to help revitalize and develop Fort Worden State Park as a Center for Life-long Learning, the Fort Worden Conservancy will serve as a philanthropic arm and work in a partnership with the Fort Worden Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority (herein, “Fort Worden Learning Center or FWLC”) to raise private funds for capital development, programming and operations.

Full Text of Ammendments (PDF)
Fort Worden Vision (PDF)
FAQ about Fort Worden Lifelong Learning Center PDA (PDF)

Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center, located in the scenic Victorian seaport of Port Townsend, offers a unique blend of art, history, recreation and natural resources.

Situated along the southeastern shoreline of Juan de Fuca Straight, at the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, Fort Worden gives its visitors an exceptional experience of spectacular views, expansive beaches and an unbelievable array of facilities.

As stewards of Fort Worden State Park, the non-profit Friends of Fort Worden provide both financial and volunteer support for park improvements and programs not funded by the state parks system. The Friends work closely with park management to identify key projects that support the park. The Friends of Fort Worden is one of seventeen Friends Groups supporting Washington State parks and properties.

Projects in 2011 include:

  • Contributions to complete the milestones associated with implementing the long-range plan for Fort Worden. $25k came from an anonymous donor and $11k from our general fund. This money allowed significant progress to be made on this project.
  • Supporting the Winter Wanderlust travel series at the Wheeler Theater.
  • Continuing to contribute towards projects that went unfunded by the state that benefitted the Park - These include:
    • providing hardware for a wireless wi-fi system that will serve Officers row, the Park office and the Guardhouse Gift Shop and Information center ($8,000);
    • purchasing television for a common area;
    • providing "Doggy-Pot" bags for dog-walkers;
    • providing 50-amp service to a park host camping site for our volunteers;

Our Ongoing Projects include:

  • Operating Park Visitor Center & Gift Shop
  • Brick Paver Fund Raiser Project
  • Trail maintenance
  • Beach access stair repair
  • Interpretative signage
  • Building restoration
  • Oral History Program

The Gift Shop at Fort Worden State Park, the Fort Worden Brick Paver Fund Raiser, membership dues and donations provide on-going sources of project funds. Our annual fund-raising event is the Fort2Fort Bike Ride . Visit our Newsletter Archive to read more about our projects and activities.

Our work is also supported by tax-deductible membership dues and donations.

For online shoppers, the service iGive offers an additional opportunity to support the Friends of Fort Worden. A percentage of every purchase made from their extensive list of participating merchants will be contributed to the Friends of Fort Worden. Visit iGive.com for details on how your shopping dollars can help us help the Fort.

Become a Member or Make a Donation

If you value all that Fort Worden has
to offer, please consider becoming a
Member or making a donation today!

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