Friends of the Forest

The San Juan Preservation Trust is dedicated to permanently conserving and caring for special places throughout the San Juan Islands, working closely with local communities to achieve their mission. By engaging in stewardship and promoting conservation initiatives, they aim to protect the unique natural landscape for future generations. The organization offers various programs and opportunities for community involvement, including volunteer work, events, and educational projects that connect people to the land. Their commitment to equity and justice underscores their efforts in fostering inclusive conservation practices within the islands. Generated from the website

Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group is dedicated to engaging local communities in efforts to restore and enhance wild salmon habitats in the Puget Sound region. Through volunteer initiatives, the organization focuses on revitalizing urban streams and ensuring the stewardship of local ecosystems for both fish and people. Offering various programs, Mid Sound promotes salmon-friendly practices for private properties and conducts projects aimed at improving aquatic habitats. The organization is also involved in strategic efforts, such as the feasibility analysis for the removal of a steel culvert on Midway Creek, to enhance fish access and support local biodiversity. Generated from the website

With a population of 118, 000 people, Skagit County in Northwestern Washington is a rural county renowned for its wild and scenic rivers, expansive floodplains, fertile agricultural lands, native forests and abundance of wildlife. This natural wealth, within 60 miles of the major metropolitan area of Seattle to the south and Vancouver B.C. to the north, makes the Skagit stand out as a special region in the United States. The artery of the county is the Skagit River, one of the principle rivers in the Western United States, draining more than 3, 000 square miles. The Skagit River boasts one of the largest endangered wild Chinook salmon runs in Puget Sound and is the only river in the state that supports all five species of native salmon. Standing above the river are the still-wild North Cascade Mountains. The upper elevations in the county are forested and glacier-clad designated wilderness, providing critical habitat wildlife. In the lowlands, where over 90% of the county's population resides, extensive floodplains and farm fields create open space, agricultural wealth and offer world-class bird habitat. The Skagit has the highest number and variety of raptors in North America. Conifer forests, extensive eelgrass bays, rocky cliffs, islands and rich estuaries line the county's coastal edge and form the entrance to the San Juan Islands. The natural riches in Skagit County are, however, under threat. With Skagit County's location between two growing metropolitan areas, loss of the county's natural heritage is happening at an alarming rate. Sprawl and development are particularly placing lowland ecosystems in Skagit County at risk - streams, streamsides, floodplains, lowland forests, marine shorelines, freshwater wetlands and agricultural lands. Population growth for the county has surpassed population growth rates in other areas of the state with a 31% increase between 1990 and 2001. Development is funneled to the lowlands and river basins with on-going disturbance to ecosystem integrity and loss of open space. Yet even under this increasing threat, a geography of coincidences coupled with the influence of a rural economy and natural disturbances such as flooding, have allowed Skagit County to resist convergence to a suburb of Seattle/Everett to the south, or Bellingham to the north. Remarkably, given its location, the county offers one of the best chances for conservation of critical habitat and open space in Western Washington. Skagit Land Trust's History and Mission Skagit Land Trust was founded in March 1992 by three visionary leaders and 31 Charter Members to help protect the natural lands, open space and wildlife habitat of Skagit County for the benefit of this and future generations. The Trust has grown steadily to become a respected grassroots organization with strong local support and is recognized as an innovative leader in conservation. The six staff, 15 board members and 50 active volunteers are joined by over 1, 000 members to protect the most important and beloved land and landscapes in the county. The amount of land and habitat protected by the Trust has grown to more than 5, 000 acres including more than 18 miles of shoreline. The Trust is currently working on a dozen new projects under the guidance of a Conservation Strategy that helps protect the best, most at-risk lands first. Skagit Land Trust's Unique Position While other partner organizations are working very effectively at the local level on protection of particular types of land in Skagit County ( e.g. Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, Ducks Unlimited ) Skagit Land Trust focuses on permanently protecting all types of natural and resource lands with exceptional conservation value throughout Skagit County. For example, no other organization in the county routinely accepts Conservation Easements on diverse private lands, countywide. Yet today in the world of conservation we do not have the luxury of a singular or divided vision. Ecosystems are a web and th