Update March 24, 2020: All TNC Washington Lands Closed
Following Gov. Inslee’s Stay Home, Save Lives executive order and to help limit the spread of COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to close all access to Nature Conservancy owned and managed lands in Washington until further notice. This includes: Central Cascades Forests, Moses Coulee-Beezley Hills, our holdings in the Olympic Rainforest, Foulweather Bluff, Port Susan Bay, Yellow Island, the Robert Y. Pratt Preserve at Ebey’s Landing, and other TNC holdings in Washington.
The prevention of the spread of COVID 19 is a responsibility that we all must share to protect our communities and each other. We are deeply grateful for your support in these efforts. Read below for our previous announcement.
Dear Nature Conservancy Supporters,
We would like to take this opportunity to update you on how COVID-19 is affecting our work on behalf of people and nature.
First, our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one or has been sickened by this virus. In challenging times, we need to come together to support those around us. We’ll get through this as a community.
Resources:
Public Health — Seattle and King County: COVID-19 updates and resources
The Seattle Times: Latest local reporting on COVID-19 (free access)
Office of the Governor: Resources for impacted business and workers
Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction: School closure info and resources for parents
Washington Trails Association: Hiking in the Time of Coronavirus & 5 Tips for Neighborhood Strolls
Over the coming weeks, we, like you, will be closely following the guidance of our public-health agencies and elected officials. Each of us has a very important role to play in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
What is TNC doing and how is COVID-19 affecting our operations? See below for the latest updates, and check back for future updates:
Until further notice, all of our Washington state offices are closed to the public. These include our Seattle, Cle Elum, Mount Vernon and Wenatchee offices. All of our staff members are currently working remotely to maintain social distancing. If you would like to contact us, please call and leave a voicemail at 206-343-4344 or email washington@tnc.org. Note that we may be a bit slow in responding.
All TNC-sponsored events and field trips are canceled through April 30. For more information about event cancellation and to stay updated, please visit our Volunteer page. Some of our partners may be still moving forward with their events and we respect their decisions. These events are subject to change. Use your best judgment when deciding to participate and make sure to contact the organizer to ensure the event is still taking place or has been modified.
Until further notice, we are discouraging visits to our preserves. This is to help maintain social distancing and is in accordance with our Gov. Jay Inslee’s request that we stay home.
We have halted all business-related travel.
Thank you for understanding, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns about our response to this ongoing pandemic. We know this is particularly challenging for everyone.
As we navigate this challenging time, visit our Facebook videos page for a moment of reprieve. We’re posting daily nature scenes from around the state. We’ll be publishing new videos to help with the anxiety and to help cope with this crisis. I’ve found that there’s nothing quite like nature’s unique ability to bring us a bit of calm. We hope it helps you, too.
Sincerely,
Mike Stevens, Washington State Director
