Theler History
Theler History
The History of Theler

Pre-Colonization

The Theler Wetlands lie within the ancestral land of the Skokomish Tribe. The Skokomish are one of the three bands of Twana Indians, the original inhabitants of the Hood Canal Watershed. Skokomish, meaning “River People,” used the Hood Canal as the main transportation route for travel, trade, digging clams, and fishing. A permanent camp of the Duhelap tribe (ancestors of the Skokomish) once resided at the mouth of Mission Creek, part of the Theler Wetlands and Union River estuary, where the Duhelap people lived mostly on fish, shellfish, berries, and hunting opportunities in the Union River Valley.

Sam + Mary Theler

Sam and Mary Theler purchased approximately 600 acres of what is now known as Theler Wetland from the Puget Mill Company in 1935, a tract that included the salt marsh area. Beginning in the early 1950s, the Puget Sound Retriever Club leased portions of the property and constructed dikes at the north end of the Theler area to create freshwater ponds used for dog field trials.

In 1950, Mary Theler was killed in an automobile accident. Following her death, Sam Theler donated five acres of land to the North Mason School District to serve as a playground in her memory. This site later became the location of the Mary E. Theler Community Center.

North Mason School District

Upon his death, Sam Theler placed his remaining property in trust for the benefit of the community, to be managed by the North Mason School District. Of this land, 73 acres—including the marsh—were designated for recreational purposes. 

In 1977, the school district appointed a committee which began developing plans for the Theler property. 

The Mary E. Theler Community Center was constructed in 1984.

In 1987, the committee initiated Phase 1 of a long-range program, and constructed the Mary E. Theler Community Park behind the Center. Upon completion in 1988, this park was dedicated as the beginning of a far-reaching dream to develop an education center on the Theler Wetlands. 

The Theler Wetlands Project

In 1988 the Hood Canal Wetlands Project (HCWP) was established as a collaborative effort between the school district, the community center, and the HCWP committee. The HCWP was created to be an ongoing program to provide an interpretive educational and recreational experience for the general public, teachers and kindergarten through university students and faculty.

In 1991, students and faculty from The Evergreen State College completed a year-long inventory of the wetland’s biological and physical characteristics. From 1992 to 1993, the Theler Wetlands trail system was designed and constructed.

The Wetlands Project Center building (now the Theler Wetlands Nature Center) was funded by a grant from the Washington State Legislature in 1992, and construction was completed in 1995.

Theler Wetlands Nature Center Closure

The Theler Wetlands Nature Center faced significant operational uncertainty in 2014. The center struggled because it was no longer supported by the original trust by Sam Theler, leading to the North Mason School District to seek new management for the property and its facilities.

WDFW + HCSEG

In 2023, HCSEG and WDFW partnered to finalize the land transfer and acquisition of the Theler Wetlands Nature Center and, under our new management, we are ambitiously working to restore and repair this space so that it can be reopened to the public. HCSEG intends to use this space as a classroom to implement our many free environmental education programs for k-12 students, to provide interpretive programs for the community and lifelong learners, and to be open to the public on a regular basis. This project will finally make this space safe and accessible, and reopen the beloved nature center – which has been closed for over 12 years – to the community. Our mission for the Theler Wetlands Nature Center is to create a vibrant gateway to conservation, discovery and stewardship where community and nature walk hand-in-hand

For a deeper exploration of the area’s cultural and ecological history, as well as its patterns of land ownership and use, click the button below to read The Hood Canal Watershed Project: A Model for Environmental Education by Jeanne J. Kinney.

history
Theler Revival

In 2023, the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (HCSEG) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) partnered to finalize the land transfer and acquisition of the Theler Wetlands Nature Center. Under our new management, HCSEG is ambitiously working to restore and repair this space so that it may once again be open to the public after being closed for over 12 years.

HCSEG and WDFW have also been working to restore the ecosystem health by removing the wetland dikes, installing native plants, as well as reconnecting the community wetland trails. Click the button below to learn more about this restoration effort:

restoration