Tom Atiyeh is quiet-spoken, humble and inconspicuous in a crowd. He draws no attention to himself and you’d never guess that he has spearheaded the preservation of 35,000-acres of ancient forest in the Cascades of Oregon. Most of the trees in this vast preserve are 800- 1000 years old. They were here 500 years before Columbus. The Crusades were ravaging Europe while these trees were in their infancy.
The name of this exquisite piece of nature where you can drink clear water directly from the running stream is Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center – www.opalcreek.org — and the story of how Tom found his way to stewardship of this pristine piece of America is a good one.
In the 1850s gold was discovered on the land but it wasn’t until the 1930s that the Atiyeh family made its first appearance with ‘Grandpa’ James Hewitt, a distant relative. He mined zinc, lead, copper and silver. In 1992 mining finally stopped altogether.
Tom grew up playing hide and seek among the ancient trees and skipping stones in the 100s of streams that ripple through the forest. Over the years the Forest Service pressed continually to log these ancient trees and Tom’s family– which strategically owned the land at both ends of the Creek — successfully resisted. Note to self: location, location, location.
Finally in 1989, an agreement was reached with the Forest Service to deed the land in exchange for its permanent protection as wilderness. Friends Of Opal Creek was established to protect of the Opal Creek ecosystem by increasing public understanding of the natural and cultural resources, scenic beauty, plant and animal diversity and ecological complexity of this extraordinary area.
Each year Opal creek welcomes 45,000 day visitors and 2500 Oregon school children enjoy multi-day field trips to learn about this ancient forest and the ecosystem it supports. Imagine the permanent impact on an urban kid who spends three full days of learning and living on land as it was one thousand years ago.
Tom’s passion for the land he stewards is palpable. He leads from his heart and the rest of us benefit.
