We are excited to welcome Skagit Land Trust members and guests this spring for our Annual Members meeting on Thursday, March 19th, from 5:30-7:30pm at Mount Vernon Library. Come see what we have accomplished together, celebrate with friends, and hear about upcoming plans.
Guest speakers Betsy Peabody, Founder of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and Bill Dewey, Policy Director for Taylor Shellfish, will share their knowledge and experience combatting climate change issues such as ocean acidification.
Registration is required, so please click on the link below to register on Eventbrite, and review the meeting preparation materials below. We look forward to seeing you in March!
Annual Meeting Items for Review
The Annual Meeting offers an opportunity for our members to vote on Board member elections and other matters, including changes to our bylaws. See below for the items that will be voted on during this year's meeting.
Skagit Land Trust Proposed Change to Bylaws March 2026:
Article V, Section 3, Paragraph c. shall be amended by adding the italicized sentence below.
c. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept minutes of all meetings of the membership, the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and any Ad Hoc Committees appointed to finalize details of property transactions; keep a file of the official documents and records of the corporation as directed by the Board. The Secretary shall send or cause to be sent notices of all meetings of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. In addition, the Secretary shall be authorized to certify all actions of the Membership, the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and any Ad Hoc Committees.
Board Members up for Election or Reelection at the Annual Meeting:
 | | | Mark Linnemann Mark Linnemann is owner & proprietor of both the Guemes Island Resort and the Guemes Island Mark Linnemann is an owner & proprietor of both the Guemes Island Resort and the Guemes Island General Store. Mark and his wife Kelly purchased the resort in 2006 and the store a decade later. He is a strong advocate for conservation on Guemes Island and beyond and helped garner local support for projects such as the protection of Guemes Mountain. Mark is formally trained as a Fine Art Photographer with a focus on landscape & environmentally sensitive subjects. He is involved in sustainably focused Glass Arts on Guemes Island, through his work with the nonprofit Beacon Glass. Mark also supports nature-focused elementary education through his involvement with Fiddlehead Montessori in Anacortes, WA. Mark joined the board in 2011 and serves on our land committee. |
 | | | Hal Lee Hal retired in 2012 after 40 years of technical instrumentation design and field service for mechanical engineering companies and the University of Washington Department of Oceanography. He volunteers with several local conservation and community service organizations. Hal has been a land steward with Skagit Land Trusts since 2008 for several conservation areas. Hal joined the board in 2013 and serves on the following committees: executive, stewardship, facilities, land, and investment. |
 | | | Anne Winkes Anne is a retired pediatric nurse practitioner with degrees from University of Washington and Skagit Valley College. A Stanford University English graduate, Anne's interest in Skagit Land Trust grew from her love of Skagit County's natural areas. Anne joined the board in 2014. Anne currently chairs Skagit Land Trust’s public policy committee and serves on the land committee. Anne is deeply involved in community science and education regarding our local Great Blue Herons and local heronries, including the March Point Heronry. |
 | | | Warren Walz Warren is a CPA with 50 years of experience. He retired from being a member/owner of Williams & Nulle, PLLC in June 2018. Since his retirement, Warren continues to mentor younger CPAs on a part time basis. Currently he is a member of the Anacortes Yacht Club, which he is a past commodore of, and the Anacortes Rotary Club. Warren joined the Skagit Land Trust board in 2014 and is the current Board President. He also serves on the land committee. |
 | | | Therese Ogle Before retiring several years ago, Therese’s business Northwest Grantmaking Resources provided philanthropy support for several family foundations and charitable trusts. Her board service over the years includes North Cascades Institute, the Manieri Jazz Endowment, Philanthropy Northwest, ACLU-WA, and the Fremont Women’s Clinic. In addition to her time with Skagit Land Trust, Therese also volunteers with the Padilla Bay Center, Friends of the Forestlands, and the Skagit Community Foundation. With her long-time partner John Draper, she divides her time between a Samish Island beach cabin on Padilla Bay (next to Skagit Land Trust properties) and a home in Anacortes near Little Cranberry Lake (part of Anacortes Community Forestlands which Skagit Land Trust protects with permanent conservation easements). Therese's beautiful golden retriever, Lily, is happy at both sites. Therese joined the board in 2020. Until recently, Therese chaired the Trust's Development & Outreach Committee. |
 | | | Lynne Wenberg-Davidson Lynne is a retired Senior Program Manager with Boeing. She earned her undergraduate degree and MBA at the University of Washington, Seattle. Since retiring to Skagit County, Lynne has strengthened her focus and energies on environmental advocacy and volunteers her time with several local environmental organizations. After graduating from the Salish Sea Stewards Program in 2020, she joined their Advisory Committee to help administer program improvements. She is Skagit Land Trust’s representative on the Skagit Marine Resources Committee (SMRC) which she has served on since 2021 - and is currently Chair. Lynne is also involved with the Northwest Straits Commission. Lynne leads several SMRC projects, such as the Bowman Bay Beach Restoration and the Skagit Bull Kelp Kayak surveys. Lynne was elected to the board in 2023. She serves as Treasurer and serves on the land committee. |
 | | | Phil McLoud Phil holds a BS and MS in Agricultural Engineering from North Carolina State University. Before retiring in 2012 he spent 32 years with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. His experience included working with farmers to both assist them and to mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture, reclaiming abandoned mine lands, restoring wetlands through the Wetland Reserve Program, constructing small flood structures and more. Since moving to Skagit County, Phil has been actively engaged through volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, and Skagit Land Trust. In addition to his volunteer activities, Phil enjoys woodworking and bicycling and is active in both these communities. Phil is being elected to the board for an initial 3-year period. However, he has served on the Facilities Committee since 2023 and is currently the Facilities Committee chair. |
Many thanks to the following retiring Board Members for over a decade of amazing service:
 | | | Karen Krub Karen grew up in Mount Vernon and now resides outside of La Conner. B.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University. J.D. from Yale Law School. Since joining the SLT Board in 2008, Karen has served at various times on the Land Committee, Executive Committee, Re-Accreditation Committee, and several ad hoc committees. She has been Chair of the Land Committee since 2012. |
 | | | Barbara Trask Barb Trast, Ph.D., was formerly the Senior Vice President of Fred Hutchinson Research Center and Director of its Human Biology Division in Seattle. Barb played a significant role in the Human Genome Project and is an internationally recognized expert in genomics and the study of chromosome structure and evolution. Barb is also a farm owner and conservation easement donor. She joined SLT’s Board in 2011. |