The Whidbey Institute has joined the three-digit-acre club.

The Clinton educational non-profit organization announced this week it recently closed a deal to buy an additional 30 acres to add to its existing 70-acre property nestled between Maxwelton and Cultus Bay roads, bringing its total land holdings to 100 acres.

“We are at a critical moment in our cultural and ecological history,” said Whidbey Institute Executive Director Heather Johnson in a press release. “A unified, 100-acre Chinook campus, with the support of our founders and broader community, strengthens our ability to serve a generation of rising leaders.”

The property was purchased from Fritz and Vivienne Hull, founders of the original Chinook Learning Center in 1972 which became Whidbey Institute at Chinook in 1995.

The deal was made official Monday, Nov. 9 and announced Nov. 10, according to the press release. Payment will be made over five years, the sale price was not released.

“Both parties are eager for this and worked for this for many years,” said Fritz Hull, in the press release. “It is indeed a dream that has come true… and we remain committed together to the ongoing vision we have shared for this land.”

The 30-acre property will be named the Legacy Forest. It was originally purchased by the Hulls to prevent development and for future use by the Whidbey Institute.

Much of its existing uses will continue, including as an outdoor learning area for the Whidbey Island Waldorf School, located on the Chinook property. Included in the entire Whidbey Institute property are trails spanning the 100 acres, a rustic outdoor kitchen, the log Storyhouse, and an outdoor theater where the Island Shakespeare Festival was founded.

Future plans for Legacy Forest include forest stewardship for a wildlife corridor and watershed protection.

To find out more, visit www.whidbeyinstitute.org.