Fisher Pond Preserve

ALLOWED USES
Hiking / Nature Walk / Birding
There is a lovely trail around the pond; an easy and delightful stroll of half a mile, with a picnic shelter at the west end near the Bill Fisher memorial stone. The trail passes through a nice second-growth forest with salal and evergreen huckleberry. The best views of the pond are from the memorial stone and from the dip on Bank Road.
In 2005 and 2006, the Land Trust built additional trails from the east end of the loop down stream to Cove Road, and from the west end of the loop through the woods almost to Agren Park. These trails are open to the public for low-impact pedestrian enjoyment. Please stay on the trails and respect the rules that Bill required we uphold: No dogs, leashed or unleashed, No horses, and No wheeled vehicles. Bill Fisher wanted the Pond preserved for "the critters."

ACCESS
At present, trail access points are unmarked but are reached by heading west from the center of Vashon Town on Bank Road. The furthest west access, on the north side of Bank Rd. between 125th Ave SW and Agren Park, is an unmarked opening across from Commons Road.
There is a trail opening east of the Pond, just before the vehicle pullout, at the "Nature Preserve" sign where the Pond is visible from Bank Rd. Walk in around the metal chain.
Alternately, turn right (north) off of Bank Rd onto SW 115th St and just at the bottom of the hill you will see a trail crossing the road. Hike to the west to get to Fisher Pond, or to the east to head down to Cove Road.
To start at the Cove Road entrance, the unmarked opening is on the south side of Cove Rd, across from the Vashon Airpot.

NATURAL HISTORY and STORY
The Fisher Pond Preserve consists of a string of conservation properties that stretch from Agren Park down to the Cove Road airport. This property consists of 145 acres on seven parcels.

The centerpiece of the upper Shinglemill Creek Salmon Preserve is Fisher Pond which one can find by driving west on Bank Road from Vashon town. Over many years of Bill Fisher's working life, working for the local phone company, Bill pieced together a this 90-acre property. The property surrounds Fisher Pond, which is the largest pond on Vashon and Maury. Also known as Bank Road Pond, this property serves several important ecological functions: It forms the headwaters of Shinglemill Creek, one of the largest drainages on the island and it is a habitat area for many species of wildlife.

In 1999, Bill Fisher, in an amazing act of generosity, gave this property to the island to preserve forever in its natural state. Additionally, he has established a fund to purchase other surrounding properties. Thus far, the Fisher Fund has been used to purchase the Johnson property (immediately to the north east) and three properties between Fisher Pond and Agren Park.

Shinglemill Creek flows out of Fisher Pond, through the 'Johnson property', another conservation property, as a free flowing stream (with the exception of a culvert under 115th). The creek then enters a large wetland on the 'Scarsella property' which serves as a sponge and a filter for the creek before it once again becomes a free flowing stream next to the airport. Just east of the Cove Road airport, another tributary joins Shinglemill near the red covered bridge. The creek then flows northwesterly with several other tributaries joining it as it drops into the lower Shinglemill canyon on its way to Colvos Passage at Fern Cove on Vashon's west side.