Volunteer Program  
Register as a Volunteer
Call or stop by the Land Trust office to register as a volunteer- or e-mail info@vashonlandtrust.org. This way we can put you on an e-mail list and contact you when volunteer opportunities arise.

Work and Walk Program
The Land Trust has regular opportunities to learn about the conservation properties and to participate in weeding, planting, and habitat restoration projects. Our current opportunities are listed on the Calendar page.

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VMILT Stewardship Program  
Acquiring a piece of property for conservation is only the beginning of a long process. The Land Trust is committed to stewarding each piece of property into perpetuity. This will involve the efforts of hundreds of dedicated islanders who believe in preserving a wild and rural Vashon-Maury.

Upon acquisition of a new property, a baseline study is performed and a baseline notebook are created to document the condition and ecological values of the property. Based on the ecolocial values identified, a management plan is written. This must involve the Vashon Park District which owns most of the properties, the Land Trust which holds the conservation easement, other potential stakeholders, and the public. The management plan will outline restoration / improvement work, access, rules for use, trails, signage, and a host of other issues.

A steward is appointed to oversee the property (see below), and a monitor is appointed to do an annual walk and write an annual report on the condition of the property. Typically, the steward organizes the volunteer work on the property.

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Stewards and Monitors  
For each of the properties stewarded by VMILT, there is a steward and a monitor. Both roles are crucial to the success of "stewardship into perpetuity" to which the Land Trust is committed. What specifically are the responsibilities of stewards and monitors?

Stewards:
A Steward is a community member who consistently watches over an individual conservation property. The steward also acts as the advocate for the property, the representative of the property's best interest to the VMILT board, staff and island community. A steward's qualifications can include community and/or environmental experience, but mandatory are: 1) a willingness to learn and curiosity about the property's ecology, and 2) a knowledgeable and enthusiastic demeanor that encourages positive community interest in the property's conservation.

Expectations for Stewards:
1. Walk the property. Be there. 2. Learn flora, fauna, surface water, invasive flora, and restoration needs, that is, the ecology of property, its buffers, and watershed. Add this information in your Annual Report. 3. Greet and guide parties permitted to walk the property. 4. Interact with users and neighbors. Note access patterns and access impact. Maintain signs. 5. Submit Annual Report. Outline past year's activities on property. 6. Submit Annual Budget and Plan. Define future projects, estimate costs, list volunteer needs. 7. Arrange Annual Monitoring with Monitor. If possible, accompany the Monitor. 8. Coordinate and oversee volunteers. If feasible, initiate a stewardship group for property. 9. Attend Stewardship Meetings scheduled by VMILT for support, interaction with other stewards, education, planning.

Monitors:
A Monitor is an individual who submits an annual written report on the property's ecological condition after an annual walk of the property. The report's conclusions are based on the ecological values defined in the property's Baseline Document. Monitor's qualifications include 1) depth of knowledge of the Island's and the property's ecological systems and 2) ability to report neutrally the property's conditions. The role of monitor is crucial both for legal reasons and to study over time the natural changes and the effects of restoration / stewardship activities.

Expectations for Monitors:
1. Know property's conservation values as defined in the Baseline Document. 2. Walk property once a year with the Steward. 3. Report annually in written form, and photos with photo map if necessary, on the property's condition.

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Steward and Monitor List  
Please contact VMILT for steward and monitor contact info and with any questions or concerns about properties.

*Fisher Pond
Steward: OPEN - your name here
Monitor: OPEN - your name here
*Ganchorre and Short Parcels (Upper Shinglemill)
Steward: Adrienne Edmonson and Michael Knodt
Monitor: Linda Peterson
*Johnson Property (Upper Shinglemill)
Steward: Jim Carstairs
Monitor: Diana Drayton
*Hudson Preserve (Upper Shinglemill)
Steward: Jack Stewart
Monitor: Abel Eckhardt
*Scarsella Parcel (Upper Shinglemill)
Steward: Bob Hawkins
Monitor: Anne Woodward
*Ross Parcel / Grand Canyon Mosaic (Lower Shinglemill)
Steward: Abel Eckhardt
Monitor: OPEN - your name here
*Oswalt Property (Lower Shinglemill)
Steward: Abel Eckhardt
Monitor: OPEN - your name here
*Christensen Pond
Steward: Audubon Societyand Rich Siegrist
Monitor: OPEN - your name here
*Ellisport Canyon Wildlands
Steward: Gary Preston
Monitor: Candy Gamble
*Island Center Marsh
Steward: Carrie Sikorski
Monitor: Dan Willsie
*Lost Lake
Steward: Kate Severson
Monitor: Mary G.L. Shackleford
*MacLeod Reserve
Steward: John Gerstle
Monitor: OPEN - your name here
*Mileta Creek Wildlife preserve
Steward: Ben Jannison
Monitor: John Rees
*Whispering Firs Bog
Steward: Steve Foley
Monitor: Tom DeVries and Dan Chasan
*Whispering Firs Bog Uplands
Steward: John and Vicki Browne, Terry Sullivan, Helen Meeker
Monitor: Tom DeVries and Dan Chasan
*White/Amiad Easement
Stewards and Owners: Emma Amiad and Susan White
Monitor: Lon Hoover
*Dean Easement
Steward and Owner: Candy Dean
Monitor: OPEN - your name here
*Hume/Manahan Easement
Stewards and Owners: Robin Hume and Colin Manahan
Monitor: Trish Howard

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