Dear Members of the Trust,

Like many in our nation, I along with other staff and the board of Skagit Land Trust have watched national events unfold with emotions ranging from horror, shame and anger at the continued violence and injustices towards Black people - to hopefulness at the peaceful protests and positive acts for change. As a mother I have felt deep sadness that I need to explain to my children why skin color matters and why it is less safe to be Black. There are decades of fear, anger, frustration and hopelessness built up in many communities. Although some progress has been made in some places, long histories of trauma and inequality have not yet been addressed appropriately.

As a land trust, our mission is to save this beautiful place for all generations of people and wildlife. All generations of all people. However, people and families we see every day here in the Skagit face extreme barriers to connecting with nature and recreating outdoors. Many do not feel welcome in the places where others are finding solace in these difficult times. Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color are poorly represented in conservation leadership and membership, including in our organization. Yet, it is well known that spending time in nature is rewarding and has a profound effect on a person’s quality of life, and health, and that almost all people feel uplifted by these experiences. All people want clean water to drink and clean air to breath.

We know we need to do better, and recent events have brought that starkly to light.

A primary goal at Skagit Land Trust is to make our work and land more inclusive of the wide range of people who live, work in, and visit Skagit County. We stand with other organizations and individuals against acts of racism, injustice, violence, and inequity. We will listen more, learn and partner more closely with communities from a wide range of racial, economic, and cultural backgrounds. We will pursue truly representative leadership in our organization. We will continue to grow our Youth Program, bringing children from all parts of our community into the outdoors and providing environmental education for the next generation of leaders. We will expand environmental career opportunities and training for young adults from diverse backgrounds. We will seek to partner with local minority-owned businesses. We will increase our understanding and sharing of cultural views and experiences of place. We will work to improve proximity and increase access to nature and our lands, for a wider range of communities and peoples.

Being together in nature can lead to better community cohesion. In the larger world of social injustices we see spilling forth in our nation today, we recognize we have a lot to learn as we go forward. We know that our words are hollow without action and that words are the easy part. Skagit Land Trust commits to shining the light on our organization. We will continue to uncover racial and social injustices and make changes so that we truly meet the intent of our mission.

I invite you to visit this page for further details of our programs and goals. We pledge to do better and trust we have your support to make a real impact.

Molly Doran
Executive Director, Skagit Land Trust