Another Great Year in Washington, Thanks to You
Together we've accomplished so much in the last year! We've protected land and water across the state, launched groundbreaking scientific research, and advocated for better policies.
Learn more about our work in our 2008 Annual Report
New Acquisition Protects Puget Sound Shoreline
Where can you watch orcas, count more than 100 eagles feasting in the tideflats, and walk a beach teeming with sea stars and shellfish? At the newest Nature Conservancy acquisition on Point Roberts, that's where!
Read all about it in our press release!
Private Landowners Preserve Swauk Paradise
Visionary landowners have donated conservation easements to the Conservancy to preserve the beautiful land of the Swauk Valley for future generations.
Find out more about the Swauk Valley in our press release.
Studying Sea-Level Rise at Port Susan Bay
Read a Q&A with ecologist Roger Fuller to learn about sea-level rise at Port Susan Bay and elsewhere.
Learn more here.
Bald Eagles Soar Above the Skagit
Hundreds of bald eagles flock to the Skagit River area in December and January. What brings them here? How can you see them?
Learn more about the bald eagles!
Fort Lewis Soldiers Volunteer on the Prairie
Members of the 67th Medical Brigade at Fort Lewis, and their families, cleared invading conifers and collected seeds on the South Puget Sound Prairies.
See more photos here.
Gobbling Goats Have an Appetite for Restoration
The Nature Conservancy has employed a unique workforce to restore a forest along the lower Skagit River. We're relying on 30 goats (and one guard llama) to gobble their way through invasive Himalayan blackberries.
Meet the goats in this video!
Acquisition Protects Habitat at Ellsworth Creek
We've purchased 320 acres of forested land that nests within our 8,000 acre Ellsworth Creek Preserve. The land will benefit the marbled murrelet, a threatened seabird that depends on big trees for survival.
Click here to learn more about this exciting acquisition.
New Land on Washington's Skagit River
The Nature Conservancy purchased 92 acres on the Skagit River. The new land expands the heart of the Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area and will protect core bald eagle and salmon habitat.
Find out more right here!
Removing Roads to Restore a Watershed
At Ellsworth Creek Preserve, The Nature Conservancy is removing unnecessary roads to help long-term efforts to restore the watershed. Conservancy scientist Tom Kollasch explains how road removal will help re-establish natural patterns at Ellsworth Creek.
Watch Tom Describe the Process in this Video!
Fire in the Fall Brings Spring Wildflowers
Blue-eyed Mary, camas, and chocolate lilies will be budding on the prairies of Fort Lewis next spring, thanks to a prescribed burning program carried out this fall.
Click here to learn more about the prescribed burns.
Migratory Birds at Port Susan Bay
Coming to a wetland near you—the great fall bird migration! Find out how you can see the birds as they make their way along the Pacific Flyway from their summer breeding grounds to their winter feeding grounds.
Click here to learn more about Washington's beautiful migratory birds.
A 100-Year-Old Fish?
What fish can live until it's 100 years old and grows more fecund every year? The rockfish! The Nature Conservancy in Washington is trying to protect this piscine wonder at our Yellow Island Preserve.
Learn more about rockfish right here
Creating Intertidal Habitat in Washington
Beneath the placid surface of Woodard Bay, the miniscule larvae of Olympia oysters have a new place to cling and grow. Conservancy scientist Betsy Lyons explains how and why we're helping Washington's native oyster.
Watch Betsy explain the importance of Olympia oysters
Knitting Together the Shrub-Steppe at Moses Coulee
New acquisitions in Moses Coulee and Beezley Hills will protect historic pygmy rabbit habitat and connect and expand existing Nature Conservancy preserves.
Learn more about the exciting land acquisition here.
Protecting the Marbled Murrelet
The tiny marbled murrelet feeds in the sea, but flies up to 50 miles inland to lay its egg. It searches through the forest for a wide, flat branch high in a big tree to lay its single egg. But big trees are hard to find.
Can we help create more habitat for these threatened birds?
Fires to Save the Forest: The Importance of Controlled Burning
On the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains, forest landowners including The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources are working together to plan for controlled burning to reduce the risk of catastophic forest fire.
Learn more about the burns here
Growing Better Fuels
Biofuels are getting a lot of attention as the world looks for alternatives to oil, but new research shows they carry a risk of increasing global warming and destroying biodiversity. Dr. Elizabeth Gray, director of science for the Conservancy's Washington program, describes her new study.
Read more in this Q&A with Elizabeth Gray
Protecting the Mazama Pocket Gopher in Washington
What is 8 inches long and can move one ton of soil to the surface in a year? Pocket gophers! These threatened critters play an important ecological role in the South Puget Sound prairies.
Watch a video of these industrious animals here
Marine Invaders in Puget Sound?
Conservancy scientist Jennifer Molnar has tracked marine invasive species all over the world, including those lurking in Washington's waters. Japanese oyster drill, spartina, and other nasties are threatening Puget Sound.
Find out what the Conservancy is doing about it
Washington Leads the Way for Forest Restoration
Dense underbrush in eastern Washington’s dry forests is like tinder — any spark could set off a catastrophic wildfire. New legislation offers hope for restoration efforts by The Nature Conservancy and its partners in the Tieton. Find out more in this Q&A with the Conservancy 's Tieton expert, Betsy Bloomfield.
Get the Scoop from Betsy Bloomfield
Forests and Flooding: What’s the Connection?
When 20 inches of rain falls in 24 hours, are floods inevitable? Or are there natural processes that can help ward off the danger? Find out in this Q&A with Nature Conservancy forest ecologist David Rolph.
Get the Answers from David Rolph
Love in Bloom on the Washington Prairies
Love blooms on the Puget Sound prairies right along with the spring wildflowers. Hear how volunteers Dennis Planck and Michelle Blanchard found romance while pulling Scotch broom.
Meet These Lovestruck Volunteers
Spotlight Archives: 2007 »
Nature picture credits (top to bottom): © TNC; © Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW); © WDFW; © TNC; © Vern Potts/WSDOT; © TNC
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