The Stewardship Team has a big job: to care for about 47,000 acres in 33 preserves and 11 easements scattered across Washington, from tiny Deadman Island, less than 2 acres in the San Juans, to the Moses Coulee/McCartney Creek/Beezley Hills complex of preserves covering more than 30,000 acres in the sagelands of Central Washington.
Meet four of our land stewards and explore the diversity of the land and the work we do.
Corinna Hanson is The Nature Conservancy’s Moses Coulee Land Manager, and her video shows the breath-taking, art-inspiring beauty of our almost 30,000 acre Moses Coulee, McCartney Creek, and Beezley Hills preserves. https://www.washingtonnature.org/mosescoulee
Port Susan Bay is only one of the many preserves and easements that Amber Parmenter manages as our Puget Sound Stewardship Coordinator, but there’s a lot going on there! This video shows small slivers of each day that a Vegetation Monitoring Crew spent out at Port Susan Bay this season, getting experience and getting muddy while getting us some great data.
Have an Island getaway with Matt Axling, The Nature Conservancy's Yellow Island Steward, who also looks after 4 other island preserves and easements in Washington's San Juan Islands. He illuminates how the practice of land stewardship is deeply connected to people, science, and culture – and that there’s a way for everyone to take part in its success. https://www.washingtonnature.org/yellowisland
Nick Altadonna, The Nature Conservancy’s Eastern Washington Stewardship Coordinator, looks after over 6,000 acres spread all over the east side of the state, and gave us a taste of both field work and science with his video.
Our Stewardship Ethic
We manage the lands responsively to ensure ecological integrity and resilience. We also work to develop a broader culture of conservation by enabling our places to be platforms for diverse community engagement, for increasing our understanding of Washington’s natural systems, and for improving land management practices.
The Nature Conservancy is a member of the Washington Association of Land Trusts and the national Land Trust Alliance. We have met rigorous national standards for land stewardship and earned accreditation by the independent Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
Banner photo © Bridget Besaw
