Answer the White House Call and Volunteer for Nature

Pull Spartina or Count Bats with The Nature Conservancy

SEATTLE, WA — July 15, 2009 — The Nature Conservancy is offering several opportunities right here in Washington to answer a call from the White House to volunteer on behalf of the environment.

In an initiative kicked off by First Lady Michelle Obama on June 22, President Obama is urging young and old across the country to help in the recovery of the nation by donating time this summer to community service. The White House is encouraging Americans to volunteer in the areas of education, health, community renewal, energy and the environment.

Here in Washington, the Conservancy is offering fun ways to get involved.

The Conservancy is looking for volunteers to conduct acoustic surveys of spotted bats in its Moses Coulee Preserve, near Ephrata, on Friday and Saturday, July 24 and 25. Sit out in the desert at night and listen for a tell-tale click-click-click-click. This is the only native bat that makes an echolocation call audible to humans. All ages and hearing abilities are welcome. For more details and to sign up, contact Liz Johnson at (509) 665-9737 or liz_johnson@tnc.org.

On Saturday, August 8, volunteers are invited to help remove invasive spartina at the Conservancy’s Port Susan Bay Preserve, a 4,122-acre preserve in Snohomish County where the Stillaguamish River empties into the bay, creating a biologically rich area of saltwater marshes and tidal mudflats.

The work party, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will involve a short boat ride to a sandy area where spartina seedlings can easily be pulled by hand. For more information and to sign up for the work party, please contact Barbara French at bfrench@tnc.org or (206) 343-4345 ext. 361.

For other Washington state volunteer opportunities with The Nature Conservancy, please check our Web site, nature.org/Washington and look for the heading “Volunteer" or click here to learn more about our service opportunities.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.