Washington

Explore the Evergreen State

From 800-year-old trees to endangered butterflies and slugs that jump (!), Washington is home to an amazing diversity of life. Support from our generous members is helping us protect these creatures and the lands and waters where they thrive. Browse the features below to learn more about our work.
 

Check out our Feature Archive for even more stories.

Check out our Slideshow Archive for our collection of slideshows.

Check out our Video Archive to enjoy our collection of videos.

What's New
Orca in Washington 215x143Orca whale crests the water. © Miles Ritter
GiveBIG

Think BIG as a 6-ton orca and support us during GiveBIG May 15. GiveBIG for Nature!

Gem-colored hummingbirds 215x143Gem-colored hummingbirds zoom around Yellow Island in the San Juans. © Phil Green
Celebrate Birds

Spring is the time to marvel at Washington's avian splendor. Celebrate birds in Washington

Seattle Opera 215x143In "Heron and the Salmon Girl" you will meet salmon, herons, orcas, turtles and fishermen! © Seattle Opera
Celebrate Earth Day in Seattle!

Join us at Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion on April 20, 12 – 4 p.m., to enjoy a day of fun, nature and musical performances. Celebrate Earth Day

Hedlin vegetables 215x143Hedlin Farm’s fresh vegetables for sale alongside the road. © Bridget Besaw
Picnic for Earth

Washington is rich with local farms and iconic foods. This Earth Day, get to know where your food comes from and throw yourself a picnic! Join us for Picnic for Earth

Seattle Mark Tercek 215x143Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy © TNC
Save the Date: Mark Tercek at Seattle's Town Hall May 3!

Join Nature Conservancy CEO Mark Tercek May 3 at Seattle's Town Hall. He'll discuss his new book: Nature's Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature. Save the Date and Join Mark Tercek at Town Hall

Great Blue Heron 215x143Great Blue Heron in flight. © Brian E. Small
Explore Puget Sound!

We've collected fun features, videos and activities you can enjoy all about Puget Sound. We're celebrating our collaboration with the Seattle Opera on Heron and The Salmon Girl, an opera for young nature and music lovers. Explore the Sound

Water Glass and WaterfallFresh drinking water comes from nature. © The Nature Conservancy and Kent Mason
Where Does Your Water Come From?

World Water Day is March 22, and this month is all about water! Get to know your H20

Longbilled dowitcher 215x143A pair of longbilled dowitchers search for food in a flooded farm field in the Skagit Delta. © Steve Mlodinow
If You Restore It, They Will Come

Thousands of migratory shorebirds flock to the Skagit and Stilligauamish deltas every year, now an important site in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Read more and see a slideshow

Yellow Island Cabin 215x143Phil Green, Yellow Island Preserve Steward, captured a whiff of smoke from the chimney of the cabin at Yellow Island. © Phil Green
Share Your Photos

See the latest from our staff photo club and submit photos of your own!

Robert Rotella Columbine 215x143A closer look reveals the texture and vibrant color of this columbine flower. © Robert Rotella Photography
Get Up Close and Personal

Here's a bouquet that will never fade! Satisfy your love of nature with this flower slideshow, featuring macro (super close up!) photography by Robert Rotella. Learn about Robert Rotella and his photos

Sylvia Peckham With Hikers 215x143Sylvia Peckham, far left, with friends and fellow members of a hiking club. © Estate of Sylvia Peckham
Leave a Lasting Legacy

We honor Sylvia Peckham, of Seattle, who left us a generous gift in her estate plan. Her love of nature shined throughout her life.

Washington State Capitol 215x143Make your voice heard in our state capitol. © EPC
Speak Up For Nature

Be an active advocate this January during Washington's legislative session. Learn how to speak up for nature

Howie O'Brien and Alix KosinHowie O'Brien and Alix Kosin, Lead Stewards at Foulweather Bluff Preserve and Volunteers of the Year. © B.French/TNC
2012 Volunteers of the Year

Meet our outstanding 2012 Volunteers of the Year and enjoy a photo slideshow! Learn about our volunteers

Mike Stevens 215x143We welcome Washington's new state director, Mike Stevens, to The Nature Conservancy © Barbie Hull
Meet Mike Stevens

Meet the Washington chapter's new state director in this Q&A. Learn about Mike Stevens

Port Susan Bay 215x143Project manager Jenny Baker and estuarine ecologist Roger Fuller stand on land that will become tidal marsh now that the sea dike is down at Port Susan Bay. © Marlin Greene/OneEarthImages.com
Breaching the Dike at Port Susan Bay

Restoring a tidal marsh for fin and fowl. Learn more

Fill Your Cup with Nature 215x143Fill Your Cup With Nature © TNC
Fill Your Cup With Nature

Match what you spend in coffee each month with a donation to nature.

header_ellsworth_creek_preserveEllsworth Creek Preserve © Harley Soltes
Creating More "Twilight"

Can conservation aid vampires on the Washington coast?

Cutting for Conservation 215x143Cutting for Conservation © TNC
Jobs and Restoration on the Coast

Cedars, Spruce and Firs get some space with the help of two tough loggers

Quinault River Valley 215x143The Quinault River Valley still has the elements necessary for salmon and people to thrive, but it needs (y)our help. © Larry Workman/QIN
Making the Quinault River A Better Home for Salmon

Learn how the Conservancy is helping the Quinault Indian Nation support salmon in the Quinault River.

More Feature Stories
Port Susan Bay 215x143Project manager Jenny Baker and estuarine ecologist Roger Fuller stand on land that will become tidal marsh now that the sea dike is down at Port Susan Bay. © Marlin Greene/OneEarthImages.com
Breaching the Dike at Port Susan Bay

Restoring a tidal marsh for fin and fowl.

enjoying snorkeling in Bali 215x143Snorkel time! The coral triangle is home to 76% of all known coral species and over half the world’s coral reefs. It also boasts the greatest extent of mangrove forests in the world, and spawning and juvenile growth areas for the world’s largest tuna fishery. Let's just say it was pretty good snorkeling. © TNC
Motorbikes, Mola Mola and Mantas

Exploring coral reef conservation in Bali with the Coral Triangle Center.

Taylor Bridge Fire 215x143Aerial view of the Taylor Bridge Fire near Cle Elum, WA in August 2012. © WA DOT
After the Taylor Bridge Fire

The Taylor Bridge Fire burned more than 36 square miles before being fully contained.

Parque Nacional Huerquehue 215x143Chile's Parque Nacional Huerquehue is home to araucaria, or “monkey puzzle,” trees that can live for more than 1,000 years. © Erica Simek/TNC
From Seattle to South America

The Conservancy's GIS Specialist in Washington shares stories from her Chilean adventure.

Canyon Camp on the Elwha 215x143From a 2011 watercolor of Canyon Camp on the Elwha River by David Dickinson. © David Dickinson
Art Inspired by Nature

Artist David Dickinson shares how and why he captures the Pacific Northwest on canvas.

2012 Washington LEAF interns 215x143We're thrilled to introduce Washington's 2012 LEAF interns Greg, Brandon, Vincent and Alex. © Kevin Horan
Unplugged and Outside: LEAF Blog 2012

Follow four Tacoma teens during their summer with the Conservancy.

Port Susan Bay Construction 215x143Construction is underway at Port Susan Bay to restore 150 acres of tidal wetlands. © TNC
Restoring a River Mouth At Port Susan Bay

Making habitat for salmon and protecting farmland.

Wolf dance 215x143Micah McCarty of the Makah performs a wolf dance to prepare the space at the National Museum of the American Indian for the opening reception. © Debbie Preston/NWIFC
First Stewards Symposium

Coastal Tribes Host Climate Conference in DC.

Washington LEAF interns 215x143Washington’s 2011 LEAF interns visiting a Skagit Valley farm © TNC
Where are they now?

Catch up with our 2011 LEAF interns.

Aurelio Ramos 215x143Aurelio Ramos is the Nature Conservancy’s director of conservation programs for Latin America © TNC
Meet Aurelio Ramos

Latin American conservationist spends a year in Washington.

Elk map 490x250Detail from a wildlife connectivity map for elk in Washington state. © Washington Wildlife Connectivity Working Group
Room to Roam

How circuit theory can preserve room to roam for Washington wildlife.

Opsrey on a nest 490x250Osprey on a nest © Douglas King
Love Lessons from Mother Nature

Love is in the air – and the water, and on land.

Snow geese on Fir Island 490x250Snow Geese flock on Fir Island, Washington © Douglas King
Winter's White Wings

From year-round residents to rare visitors, winter brings white wings to Washington.

Ponderosa pine 490X250A gnarled old Ponderosa pine in a meadow near Bald Mountain, Washington. © John Marshall
Milestone Reached in the Heart of the Cascades

Protected: wildlife habitat and public access on 10,386 acres of forest.

Washington volunteers: The BidwellsDarlene and Barry at Shotwell’s Landing. © Ellen Banner
Announcing Our Volunteers of the Year

Barry and Darlene Bidwell have been volunteering for more than two decades.

Red osier dogwood 720x400Red osier dogwood practically glows along the banks of the Tieton River. © Lee Trivette
Washington’s Wonderful White Winters

View a slideshow and see how beautiful Washington is in the winter.

SPeaglesonbranch9Wintering bald eagles, Washington. © Art Wolfe
The Eagles Have Landed

Winter brings hundreds of bald eagles back to the Skagit.

Pulling net 490x250Removing an old, abandoned fishing net from the Chehalis River © Northwest Straits Initiative
What Lies Beneath

Helping aquatic wildlife by removing “ghost nets” and other hazards.

Farming for WildlifeDairy farmer Alan Mesman is partnering with the Conservancy in our Farming for Wildlife project in the Skagit River region. © Bridget Beesaw
Farming for Wildlife

In the Skagit River Delta, we're working with farmers to create new habitat for migratory shorebirds.

Washington: Kayaking the San JuansOrca whale. © NOAA
Feature Archive

Browse more feature stories about nature in Washington.

Authors

Our feature stories are penned by Conservancy staff members Robin Stanton, Jeff Compton, Jocelyn Ellis and Katherine Sather.

Please contact us with any questions.

Read More

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Arden OConnor 215x143Arden O’Connor. © Lajla LeBlanc

Nature Matters

Hear some of nature's success stories and see how nature matters to us all. Watch videos