Save a Forest in Southworth, WA

Southworth Forest Update:

Southworth Forest is Now Triple Certified

Posted August 23, 2026 by Southworth Forest

A Homegrown National Park sign is posted at the main entrance to the Forest, which joined the map of the Park in 2023.

As of the summer of 2026, the Southworth Forest restoration project at 11004 SE Southworth Dr. in Port Orchard, WA, is now certified with three different conservationist organizations. First, the project is a registered wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. Second, the restoration is part of the growing Homegrown National Park movement to plant native plants. And third, it is certified as a wildlife habitat with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

As a wildlife habitat including medium-growth forestlands and wetlands with a stream, Southworth Forest provides food, water, cover, and safe places to raise young for diverse wildlife. The caretakers promise to follow sustainable practices to protect the land for generations to come. These three partnerships are a source of pride in the Clemmensen family's accomplishments to date at the property near the Southworth ferry, as well as a beacon of hope for the future of the forests in the area.

The Forest's first certification came through the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The Clemmensen family has been members of NWF for many years, and in early 2022 they applied for and received a Certificate of Achievement recognizing the restoration project as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat site. As they have continued to plant more native trees every year and clear out invasive plant species, they take care to provide brush piles, snag trees, and other places to shelter. The seasonal stream and wetlands provide water. Native plants provide flowers, berries, nuts, and seeds throughout the seasons. The trees themselves are excellent nesting sites and feed the insects that in turn feed the birds. Pine cones feed the squirrels. It's important to compost, leave the leaves, and avoid spraying pesticides.

Becoming certified is a relatively easy process, especially if you are already planting native species and using organic methods in your yard. There is an online application on which you verify ways that your property provides food, water, cover, places to raise young, and practices sustainability. There is a small fee and you pay for signs to let your neighbors know that you are providing habitat for wildlife. Education aids understanding: those aren't weeds, they are native plants. The yard isn't messy; it's habitat!

Southworth Forest is also now on a bigger map, joining the Homegrown National Park in 2023. The existing native plants plus the additional native plantings installed over the years count toward the total acreage contributed. This is a movement co-founded by entomologist Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, Nature's Best Hope, and The Nature of Oaks, among other books. The basic idea is that our national parks are not enough to sustain wildlife, which we see with the decline in bird and insect populations (two very related things), exacerbated by climate change and endangered even more with recent government budget cuts. But we have way too many lawns producing no food and providing no benefits to wildlife.

If enough people join together to replace lawns with native plants, we can turn our private properties into connecting wildlife corridors that help migrating species as well as our year-round wildlife friends. One of the biggest tragedies of the 2019 deforestation adjacent to the Southworth Forest is that a large portion of Southworth's biggest wildlife corridors was wiped out in violation of the law. The impacts of the developers' actions were proven significant to Kitsap County, but only small buffers are required to be replanted, permanently reducing the corridor's prior benefit for migration.

Speaking of migrating, did you know that Kitsap County is a part of biannual bird migrations? We might not get monarch butterflies, but huge flocks of birds migrate up and down the Pacific Coast in April and October, traveling mostly at night and stopping to refuel along the way. Our yards and larger properties can provide vital stopovers for these beautiful birds as they make their way between their breeding/nesting grounds and their winter homes. Stay tuned for a future article on the importance of the "Lights Out" program, which involves turning off unnecessary artificial lights during the spring and fall migrations.

Joining Homegrown National Park is easy and free. Read one of Doug Tallamy's books (available at our local public libraries and linked below), and learn about native plants in your area. There are organizations that can help, like your local native plant society and native plant nurseries. Install native plants and add your property to the map, too! Signs and books are available for purchase through their website's shop.

Most recently, in 2026, Southworth Forest completed certification as Wildlife Habitat with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife in Washington State. Their application process, again online, is a little more detailed than with National Wildlife Federation, requiring a list of native plants and photos showing some of the wildlife-supporting features, but with a similar checklist of ways to provide food, water, shelter, space to raise young, and sustainable practices. It is free to apply, and after a couple of months you will receive a nice package in the mail with a sign, stickers, information to share, a packet of native seeds, and a beautiful fridge magnet of common Washington state birds.

Photos submitted to the WDFW included the cedar grove with a carpet of swordferns, a trio of snag trees, the Forest's Category IV stream in spring with skunk cabbage (also called swamp lantern) growing beside it, blooming Oregon grape, blooming salmonberry, and a patch of pearly everlasting. These nicely demonstrate shelter, places for nesting, water, and food provided by native plants.

Resources

The following websites and books can help guide you to understanding your own property's habitat and applying for your own certifications.

Additional Websites

• Kitsap County Native Plants Facebook Group (This is a lovely group of people who help identify native plants, share their restoration efforts, and organize community nature walks.)
• Washington Native Plant Society (Washington State)
• Washington Native Plant Society (Kitsap County is part of the Olympic Peninsula Chapter)

Books About Native Plants

(Check your local public library)

• Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Douglas Tallamy
• Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas Tallamy
• The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Trees by Douglas Tallamy
• How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard by Douglas Tallamy
• Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies by the Xerces Society

Books About Native Plants in the Pacific Northwest

(Check your local public library)

• Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Arthur R. Kruckeberg and Linda Chalker-Scott
• Real Gardens Grow Natives: Design, Plant & Enjoy a Healthy Northwest Garden by Eileen M. Stark
• The Pacific Northwest Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden by Kristin Currin and Andrew Merritt
• Encyclopedia of Northwest Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes by Kathleen A. Robson, Alice Richter, and Marianne Filbert

Local Nurseries That Sell Native Plants

• Salish Trees Nursery, Kingston
• Shore Road Nursery, midway between Port Angeles and Sequim
• Woodbrook Native Plant Nursery, Gig Harbor (a supplier for Southworth Forest)
• Olmsted's Nursery, Poulsbo
• Brother's Greenhouse, Port Orchard (a supplier for Southworth Forest)
• Nobody Nursery ("Nobody Grows That"), Des Moines

A National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat sign is posted at a secondary entrance to the Forest.

A Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Habitat at Home sign is ready for posting at the Forest.

A Homegrown National Park Biodiversity Map sign is ready for posting at the Forest.