Save the date for the party of year! Saturday, March 1, 2014 is Skagit Land Trust's 8th Annual Have Fun, Save Land Auction & Dinner. With the support of many generous sponsors, item donors and volunteers, 100% of proceeds will benefit local land conservation and stewardship. We are currently accepting item and experience donations - visit the event webpage or contact Auction Director Mary Mae Hardt at (360) 428-7878 if you can help make this a successful evening in support of Skagit's natural lands.

Help protect Skagit County's natural heritage by becoming a Skagit Land Trust member. Join with 1,000 household and business members to save the lands we love. Visit our secure online giving page to become a member, renew, give a gift membership, or make a special gift. You may also print a membership form to mail in or call 360-428-7878 to make a donation by phone. Thank you!

Thank you to the businesses and individuals who helped make the November 14 Words, Sounds and Images of the Skagit event at the Museum of Northwest Art a fabulous success. During this event, inspiring works were presented by local musicians Jessamyn Tuttle and Jon Nauert of Campbell Road, artist Kris Ekstrand Molesworth, and author William Dietrich. Together, we raised over $20,000 (gross) for local land conservation! This success would not have been possible without the generosity of site host Museum of Northwest Art; event sponsors Allstate Insurance – Annette Booth Agency, Skagit River Steel & Recycling, Concrete Nor’West, Cline Consulting, LLC and Skagit Marketing; Nell Thorn Restaurant; and all of the attendees who made generous contributions in support of local lands.

Skagit Land Trust has acquired three properties to expand Skagit River shoreline, wetland, and forest protection for the benefit of all generations. In late August, the Land Opportunity Fund - with donor contributions raised during the Trust's Annual Auction - was utilized to purchase 10 acres to expand the Trust's 139-acre Minkler Lake Conservation Area, just west of Lyman. During the same month, an inholding was added to the Trust’s 205-acre Cumberland Creek Conservation Area. This protection was assisted by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB), other public funds, and private citizens. And in September, 5.5 acres was added to the 87-acre Hurn Field Conservation Area with funding from SRFB and assistance from Seattle City Light.

Click here to read the Skagit Valley Herald feature article.

Driving on east College Way just became a little more scenic with the removal of billboards on a property now owned by Skagit Land Trust. The billboards were removed as part of a larger plan to guide the management of the 350-acre Barney Lake Conservation Area.

The plan also includes outings to involve the community in caring for and enjoying the land; implementation of a plan to restore the Logan Creek stream channel and riparian areas to support native fish, amphibians, and songbirds; working with a local farmer to maintain agricultural activities on the property and provide forage for migrating waterfowl; and partnering to make a recreational trail connection on the eastern edge of the property.

A new interpretive sign and map has been placed at the trailhead for the Barr Creek Conservation Area. The Hegg-Benson Trail at Barr Creek is a great hike for kids & adults on a green, lush trail to a cascading waterfall. Want to explore the Skagit more this fall? Check out our Visiting Trust Properties page to learn more about exploring protected places across the county.

Whether you live or work in or visit Skagit County, you know we are fortunate to be the guardians of a spectacular corner of the world. Not only is the landscape varied and beautiful, but we are accomplishing land conservation in the green heartland between the rapidly growing metropolitan areas of Seattle and Vancouver BC. So it is no wonder that we feel a sense of urgency to save land alongside our sense of amazement. Thanks to each of you and your generosity and concern, in the past year we made excellent progress on our land conservation journey. Read about this past year's accomplishments in the Skagit Land Trust 2013 Annual Report.

Interested in receiving Skagit Land Trust events and news alerts by email? Learn about upcoming property tours, community events and volunteer work parties by subscribing to our e-newsletter. Visit our e-news sign up page today!

The first annual Natural Skagit Day will be held at Skagit Land Trust's Lyman Slough Conservation Area on Saturday, June 15. This family-friendly event begins at 9am at the Lyman City Park and will feature nature walks, fly fishing demonstrations, and volunteer opportunities. The Trust acquired this 18-acre property in 2004 with funds from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and help from Skagit County to protect the significant salmon rearing habitat found here. Since 2004, many volunteers have assisted in caring for this conservation area.

Visit the Natural Skagit Day event page to learn more.

Collaboration is essential to effective Skagit land conservation efforts and the Trust has worked closely with many partners over the years, including the local office of The Nature Conservancy. In 2012, the Trust was contracted to apply its stewardship practices honed during years of management of our own 24 conservation areas to the Conservancy’s preserves. Working closely with local Conservancy staff, the Trust began to expand upon the store of knowledge of these special places and developed interim management plans and baseline biological data for each preserve. Read more about this partnership and other news in our Spring 2013 Newsletter.