Terry Stokka was named Keeper of the Keys to the Forest for 2017-2018 at Black Forest Community Hall on Aug. 6. Terry arrived in the Black Forest after serving in the U.S. Air Force as a navigator and civil engineer. He has enriched the quality of life in the Black Forest in many ways. Terry joined and energized the history committee and archived the community club history back to 1929. He produced a video of historical cabins in the Black Forest. Many are no longer standing. Terry videotaped oral history interviews of a dozen “Old Timers.î†The interviews have been transcribed and are stored by the history committee. He also produced the video, “The Day the Forest Burned,î after the 2013 fire; the video includes a map and narration booklet. Terry’s narrative is a key content of the explanation of the fire at the Memorial at the Black Forest Log School Park.Since 2006, Terry has been the chair of the Black Forest Land Use Committee, a group that works with developers as well as county officials to ensure they adhere to the goals and policies of the Black Forest Preservation Plan.Terry is interested in forest care and led the mitigation efforts to thin dog hair trees in Falcon Forest subdivision. His hobby of finding and documenting the largest and oldest trees in the Black Forest has resulted in a slab on display in the community hall, with historical events marked on the rings of the trunk displayed.
