Together, we are making a meaningful difference.

Dear supporters and partners,

We enter 2024 at a critical moment for our planet. We now have years, not decades, to tackle the twin crises of climate change and loss of biodiversity. Our action on behalf of nature and people has never been more urgent. At this pivotal moment, I’ve never been more grateful for your commitment and dedication. You are part of our amazing community, working in support of our inspiring mission, enabling us to set ambitious goals and ensure we can do the challenging and sustained work that this critical moment demands.

At the state and national level, we are at a historic moment of opportunity in our efforts to address climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Once-in-a generation policy and funding commitments in Olympia and Washington, DC, are creating extraordinary opportunities for accelerating the clean energy transition, investing in communities, and caring for our lands and waters.

Through Indigenous-led conservation, racial equity and environmental justice, and innovation and learning, we are identifying game-changing pathways for progress, and, with our colleagues and partners across the state, country, and the world, learning how to best do the work.

There is joy in our work, as well as challenge. Over the past year, I have seen our teams and partners in action – in a coastal estuary, deep in a rainforest, on a mountainside studded with ponderosa pine, at a community gathering, as well as in the halls of Congress and the state Capitol. I have been filled with appreciation for the skill and passion people bring to finding solutions and making a real difference. This fills me with hope.

Today I want to share just a few stories that showcase our work to address climate change, restore habitat, support Indigenous-led conservation, and more. As you read them, I hope you will feel the same pride and gratitude I feel. We do this work together and with your support, we are making a meaningful difference as we work to build a thriving, equitable and resilient future.

With gratitude, 

Mike Stevens,

Washington State Director

Washington Legislative Climate Action 

All year long, TNC works tirelessly to advance conservation priorities and be a voice for nature in Olympia and Washington, DC. During the 2023 session, the state legislature made a historic level of investments in climate solutions totaling over $2 billion in the next two years, passed the Growth Management Act—which updates planning requirements to prepare communities for climate impacts, expanded the Washington Climate Corps Network, and sustained resources to address the increasing threat of wildfire across the state. We remain committed to supporting equitable climate policymaking strategies and priorities and thank every individual and organization who spoke up for nature in the legislative session this year.

Thinning the Forest for the Trees

In a dense forest, fire can spread rapidly. Packed trees and shrubs serve as fuel. Overgrown shrubs and small-diameter trees act as ladders for fire to climb up to the crown and potentially turn into a severe wildfire. Through active forest restoration work, TNC is working to combat these dangers in the Central Cascades Forest and other forests. This year, TNC conducted active forest restoration work on 417 acres of the Central Cascades Forest using mastication and forest thinning. In addition to prescribed burning, mastication and forest thinning are management tools that promote a healthy and more resilient ecosystem that contains larger trees, enhances wildlife habitat, and helps reduce the risk of wildfires.

From Local to Global with Dr. Ettinger

Dr. Ailene Ettinger, Quantitative Ecologist for TNC Washington uses science to solve real-world conservation problems. She sees connections between the work she conducts here locally and scientific work and inquiries being done on a global level. “Even when the question is global in scale, such as ‘how will climate change affect forests and the people who depend on them?’, understanding the local context is critical. Finding commonalities, as well as unique differences, around the world is fascinating and can facilitate tackling global problems more efficiently and effectively.”

Cutting-edge Science in the Emerald Edge

With the right forest management and protection practices, the rainforests of the Emerald Edge—stretching from Southeast Alaska to the Pacific Northwest—can store substantially more carbon, playing a critical role in addressing human-caused climate change. And better forest practices also create more resilient, biodiverse ecosystems and vibrant and healthy Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Yet to date, TNC and our partners have lacked precise data about how much carbon is being stored paired with information on current protections. That is until the launch this year of the Emerald Edge Carbon Map, an innovative and interactive map that TNC built to give us a powerful tool to pinpoint the most impactful and actionable natural climate solutions and opportunities for sequestering more carbon across the region while supporting community priorities.

The Work Continues…

Thank you for all you’ve done to support The Nature Conservancy in our mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Now is a pivotal time, for nature and for people. We are asking for your partnership as we continue to face the challenges ahead. Please consider how you might increase your impact.