By Danielle | Published: June 30, 2011 – 11:26 pm

Greenbank, WA. What’s the most important part of our islands to protect? Why does that matter to you? The Whidbey Camano Land Trust invites you to consider these questions and attend one of four public workshops in July and August. The goal is to hear from people who are interested in protecting ‘the very nature’ of the islands and discover what they care most about.

Each meeting will include a brief presentation about the Land Trust and its Land Protection Plan, with a majority of the time spent gathering input from the community. There will be maps to illustrate the issues, small group conversations, and forms provided for written comments.

The original Land Protection Plan was developed in 2005 with significant input from natural resource specialists, Land Trust members and the public. Working with that plan has resulted in the Land Trust being strategic and effective in protecting the most important natural habitats, scenic vistas and working farms on Whidbey and Camano Islands.

Now, six years later, the Land Trust is updating the plan to reflect new resource information. Pat Powell, Executive Director of the Land Trust, stated, “We want to be sure that the Land Trust continues to focus on protecting and stewarding properties with the most significant conservation values and community conservation priorities.”

All meetings will begin at 5 pm. Sign-in opens at 4:45 pm.

Whidbey Island

• July 13, 2011: Coupeville United Methodist Church – 608 North Main St., Coupeville, WA
• July 27, 2011: Trinity Lutheran Church – 18341 State Route 525, Freeland , WA
• August 3, 2011: Skagit Valley College Oak Harbor campus – 1900 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA (Hayes Hall room 137)

Camano Island

• August 18, 2011: Camano Senior Center – 606 Arrowhead Rd, Camano Island, WA

The public meetings on Whidbey are sponsored by Puget Sound Energy. Contact the Land Trust at info@wclt.org with questions or if you need directions to the meeting location.

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By Danielle | Published: June 30, 2011 – 10:42 pm

It’s summertime! Okay, our weather has been a little slow, but it is getting there. So I am inspired to get out on the land. We have a great month filled with fun work parties, join us!!

Directions and details on what to bring will be sent to those who RSVP. Please call (360) 222-3310 or email Jessica if you plan to come.

Saratoga Woods Preserve (near Langley)

Friday, July 8^th

9am- 12 Noon

The landscaping in the parking area is in need of some TLC. We’ll be weeding the beds and as time allows we’ll be removing invasives from the trails. There is always something to do at Saratoga!

Trillium Community Forest (near Freeland)

Wednesday, July 13^th

9am – 12 noon

Time for some trail work and more invasive removal at our beloved forest. We’ll also be doing some old-fashioned dirt moving (bring your shovel). J

Kristoferson Creek Preserve (Camano)

Thursday, July 21^st

10am-1pm

Let’s take a trip to Camano! We’ll be removing blackberries from along the stream corridor and checking in on our restoration planting areas. Great time to check out this Preserve!

Dugualla Flats Preserve (near Oak Harbor)

Tuesday, July 26^th

10am-1pm

The goal for this work party will be to remove some old duck blind structures. We get to tear stuff apart! If you have a truck we would love help in transporting the materials to the recycling center. Time permitting we’ll also remove some thistle. (We can’t have a work party without invasive removal).

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By Jan | Published: June 24, 2011 – 4:32 pm

Deer at the Fairfax Preserve

Every month, the Land Trust hosts a walking tour at one of its protected properties. Join the Land Trust this month at the Del Fairfax Preserve. Dr. George Fairfax donated the property to the Land Trust in 2007 and will be one of the tour leaders.

Great Horned Owl at Fairfax Preserve

Directions to the preserve: From Highway 20 turn north onto Zylstra Road. Head north on Zylstra Road for approximately 3 miles until you see the Zystra Road Fire Station on your left. Turn left onto a wide gravel road in front of the fire station and park on the right next to the fence. The Del Fairfax sign will be in front of you. Please do not block the gravel road or the Zylstra Road Fire Station bay doors.

If you have questions, email jessica@wclt.org or call the Land Trust office at 360-222-3310. To reach the walk leader after office hours call (360) 632-9140.

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By Jan | Published: June 23, 2011 – 10:35 pm

The federally threatened golden paintbrush and Mark Sheehan, the Land Trust’s Naas Project Manager, were featured on Seattle’s King 5 news recently. The Naas Natural Area Preserve, also known as the Admiralty Inlet Natural Area Preserve, is one of 54 Washington Department of Natural Resource (DNR) Natural Areas that protects high-quality examples of native ecosystems and rare plant and animal species.

The Land Trust hosts a couple tours a year of the prairie and a number of activities to help restore the prairie. Visit the Land Trust’s event calendar often to get updates on upcoming activities at the Preserve and other Land Trust properties. The protection and restoration of the Preserve has been made possible with funds from the US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the USDA Natural Resource and Conservation Service.

See the video:

direct link

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By Jan | Published: June 23, 2011 – 6:54 pm

The Land Trust has an exciting opportunity! Today only (Thursday, June 23), The Seattle Foundation and sponsors will match donations made to local non-profits including the Land Trust. Based on successful models from other cities, this “giveBIG” campaign will raise money for the community and help make our region a more vital place to live. We are excited to be a recipient organization!

Here’s how GiveBig works:

This Thursday, June 23rd from 7 am to midnight, The Seattle Foundation and local businesses will match a share of every contribution made through The Seattle Foundation’s online Giving Center. They have a $500,000 pool that they will use to match the donations. The more money the Land Trust receives, the larger the share of the pool it gets.

AND…

An additional $21,000 has been raised for Golden Tickets! Every hour, one person’s donation from all those made in the previous hour will be randomly selected for a “Golden Ticket” worth $1,000. This additional gift will be made in that person’s name to the non-profit that was designated by the winning gift.

One extra special Golden Ticket, worth $5000 will be drawn at the end of the day from all gifts made on June 23rd.

What you can do:

Make an online contribution on June 23rd
Go to the Land Trust’s profile on The Seattle Foundation website. Click on the Donate Now button. All contributions regardless of their amount will be factored into the pool.

RSVP for GiveBIG on Facebook. When you rsvp for the facebook event, you will get reminders for the 23rd.

Spread the Word
Let others know about this exciting opportunity. Forward this email, tell your friends and family, you can even post this page on your facebook wall.

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