South Whidbey State Park on the west side of Whidbey Island preserves old-growth forest, tidelands, and shoreline along Admiralty Inlet, including some of the island’s largest remaining western red cedar, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and western hemlock; one cedar is more than 500 years old. Established in 1974 as a small shorefront park, it grew largely through a determined local campaign to save the nearby Classic U old-growth tract from logging. Citizens sued, organized Save the Trees, and used civil disobedience, helping bring 255 acres into the state park system and later adding the Ryan parcel. Its significance lies in both recreation and grassroots conservation.