There’s a backyard cherry tree that island resident Rod Stevens says exemplifies why he and others formed Islandwise, a new group aimed at defining the essential qualities that make Bainbridge the community it is.

“I’m looking at it right now,” Stevens said from his Oddfellows Road home. “It was one of the originals planted here. It’s 105 years old. It’s pretty cool because it hasn’t been covered in a Northgate Mall, suburban sprawl. That’s pretty wonderful.”

The tree makes Stevens, a real estate consultant who moved here five years ago, feel connected to the island’s past and its natural environment.

But he and other members of Islandwise fear Bainbridge’s recent penchant for fast growth and development could cut residents off from what they remain here for, came here for and hope to pass on to their children.

“What we want to do is plant a tree today so people feel connected to the people of 2006,” he said.

The group, which is composed of about 12 members, has been meeting over coffee to discuss what they value most about the island and what they hope to preserve.

Now they want to broaden the discussion with a series of “fireside” meetings in homes.

Islandwise members will take note of where the discussions lead and eventually draft a list that they say could guide future growth.

Former Bainbridge mayor Dwight Sutton, another founder of the group, hopes discussions on ecological, social, racial and economic diversity will lead to a clearer picture of the “community’s DNA.”

Once the island’s general values are expressed, Sutton said Islandwise won’t simply post the list on a wall and pat each other on the backs.

“Once we come up with a core sense of what features define us and what we’re looking for, then we can codify that and turn to these directly in decision-making as individuals, non-profits or government.”

For more information on Islandwise, visit www.islandwise.org.

To get involved in the group’s fireside chats on community values and vision, call Dwight Sutton at 842-3011.