Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Names New Manager After Nationwide Search

The trails above Ebey's Prairie draw visitors from across the state every spring, but coordinating trail upkeep, managing trailhead access and running public programs across a reserve that spans federal, state, county and private land takes a full-time staff lead. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve has been operating without one. That changes with the appointment of Alix Roos as reserve manager, announced by the Ebey's Landing Trust Board on Friday, March 27.

Roos takes over as the principal staff member for the nation's first national historical reserve, a living cultural landscape covering Ebey's Prairie, historic farms, shoreline state parks and the historic townsite of Coupeville. The role requires constant coordination among four governing partners: the National Park Service, Washington State Parks, Island County and the Town of Coupeville.

The search began in September and drew roughly 40 applicants nationwide. A task force and the full board worked through that field, identifying six serious finalists before recommending Roos. The position carried a documented history of recruitment difficulty: earlier versions of the job did not include county employee benefits, a gap organizers say had hurt their ability to attract and retain staff. Moving the reserve-manager payroll into Island County's system addressed that, and the board credits the restructured position with producing a stronger candidate pool.

The Trust Board anticipates Roos will resume and expand preservation programs, ramp up seasonal visitor services coordination and take over grant stewardship across the reserve's historic properties, including the Jacob and Sarah Ebey House. A contracted preservation specialist has been administering the Ebey's Forever Grant Program during the transition; that work now passes to Roos alongside the reserve's broader operational needs.

Public meetings are planned so the community can meet Roos and hear early priorities before the summer season opens. For a reserve that has operated in restructuring mode for more than a year because of federal funding constraints, the hire is the most concrete step yet toward stable operations ahead of Whidbey's busiest visitor months.