VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

Check out that monster root ball!

Lila and the rest of the Stew Crew are back at it this Tuesday for another fun-filled morning of invasive weed pulling, and they are always on the lookout for new friends to help steward these lands we all love. We hope you can join us!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

It’s not quite planting season (cmon, rain!), so we have a few more weeks to do battle with a familiar foe: invasive weeds at the Judd Creek Loop!  Come lend the Stew Crew a hand for a morning of fun and cathartic root pulls.

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

We are offering two tours of our Beaver Dam Analog projects on October 9, 2026

Learn why these simple structures can have a big impact in our Island watersheds, check out the location for our newest trail project, and ask Land Trust staff about all things restoration.

These tours have filled up, but we are open to adding a third tour. Please email info@vashonlandtrust.org if tour tickets are sold out so we can gauge interest in a third tour.

Our Stew Crew root-ball extraction competition continues this Tuesday at Upper Shinglemill!

Do you have what it takes to best our seasoned team of non-native plant eradicators? Show Keller and the team your stuff, and bring a friend!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

Do you dream of a landscape design that slows storm runoff, helps recharge the aquifer, and creates habitat for our Island critters? You should build a rain garden!

Our former intern, Julia Brynn, is a talented, passionate landscape designer and will host a community talk on rain garden design right here at the Land Trust building on Saturday, October 3rd, at 11:00 am. This talk includes a tour of the rain garden that Julia designed for us!

The talk is free and a great way to spend a Saturday morning before heading down to Cider Fest. Hope to see you all there!

It's been a busy summer here at the Land Trust, and we're looking forward to updating the community on the Beaver Dam Analogs we installed in Judd and Shinglemill Creeks. We also have exciting priority project plans to share that will span the next several years.

Be sure to bring your questions, insights, and creek stories – we are excited to share a progress report on this ambitious work!

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

Do you think you can best this mighty intact taproot pull?!

Show the Stew Crew what you’ve got this Tuesday in Upper Shinglemill! They’ll be tackling blackberry, holly, and hawthorn near the All Ages Loop trail.

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need

Join the Land Trust and Vashon Center for the Arts for a screening of Heart of the Lion!

Experience a breathtaking journey into the hidden world of mountain lions with Heart of a Lion, a feature-length documentary that follows biologist Mark Elbroch from the rugged wilderness of Jackson, Wyoming, to the misty forests of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

At the heart of the film are two remarkable mountain lion mothers, F61 and Yoko, whose lives Elbroch has tracked for years. Through their stories, audiences are invited into an intimate and rarely seen portrait of one of North America’s most misunderstood predators—revealing not only the vital role mountain lions play in the wild, but also the intelligence, resilience, and deep maternal bonds that shape their lives.

Following the screening, stay for a special talk and audience Q&A that will deepen the conversation around wildlife, conservation, and our relationship with the natural world. Vashon Nature Center's co-executive director, Bianca Perla, will moderate the Q&A.

Land Trust supporters will receive 10% off their tickets (and $2 per ticket will be donated to the Land Trust) if they use the code LAND10 at checkout. To purchase tickets, follow this link! https://vashoncenterforthearts.org/events/heart-of-lion-film-screeningtalk

With all the summer activity, we decided it would be nice to have a little decompression session post Labor Day!

Join the Land Trust at our favorite after-work spot, Camp Colvos, for a "Last Friday" Happy Hour. We'll chat about summer projects, tee up what's coming next for the Land Trust, and connect with each other.

The first 40 guests will receive a special edition pint glass! We'll also have a raffle for Land Trust swag, so come on by and save room for tots. 

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

Salmon watching season is nearly upon us! Join the Vashon Nature Center for "The Status of Salmon in Vashon Creeks", right here at the Land Trust building. 
Vashon Nature Center staff will give a presentation on the status of salmon in island creeks, building upon community-collected data from a variety of salmon-centered research projects since 2016. This 45-minute talk will be followed by questions and then a 30- minute training session for those interested in volunteering with the SalmonWatchers program. SalmonWatchers monitor creeks once or twice a week, documenting the presence of salmon from October 1st to December 31st. If you do not want to volunteer to be a SalmonWatcher you are welcome to join for the public talk and then leave after the question and answer period.

This training session is mandatory for new Salmonwatcher volunteers!

Ready to receive two thumbs up from our intern team?

Come out for a Stewardship Volunteer Work Party!

Lila, Samantha, and the rest of the crew will be out at the Judd Loop this week for some good ol’ fashioned weed-grubbin, and you should definitely join them!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

Need a reason to smile? Studies show that pulling weeds can boost serotonin and ensure the rest of your day goes off without a hitch.

Okay, admittedly, our Stew Crew and volunteers conducted these studies. And they haven't been peer-reviewed. But we think the grins and laughs we see every single Tuesday morning prove the hypothesis!

This Tuesday we’ll head out to the project site for some non-native plant removal to make way for planting this fall!

Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/AY5A1JAo2NULJx1m8 Park on SW Cove Rd near the airport; look for the Land Trust trucks!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

Alright folks, it’s time to do our best beaver impressions and get building!

That’s right, our permits are in, and it’s time to build the first Beaver Dam Analogs in Judd Creek. Grab your wellies, sharpen those chompers, and join the Stew Crew this Tuesday!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

Grab a friend; we’ll supply the bags. It’s time for a non-native plant roundup at the Upper Shinglemill Trailhead! The Stew Crew will be hunting the usual foes and taking care of some trail maintenance while we’re there. Hope you can join us for the best way to spend a Tuesday morning :)

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

No time for napping; we’ve got non-native plants to handle in our island’s largest creek!

Join the Stew Crew this Tuesday to tackle blackberry and Bittersweet nightshade in the riparian zone. After all, there’s nothing like spending a summer’s morning in the forest!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

Embrace the bramble! This week the Stew Crew is heading out to one of our Beaver Dam Analog sites to tackle some invasives to help prep for installation. (Plus, we’ll be clearing the area for planting in the fall!)

We’ll be pulling blackberries, hawthorn, and ivy in the wetland, so this is a great week to come out if you have not sufficiently scratched your desire to do battle with invasives this summer.

Please park along Cove Rd next to the airport. We'll start at the trailhead after an orientation to the sites and location. Look for the Land Trust trucks!

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

The Stew Crew spent last week thinning at the Mary Matsuda Gruenewald Forest, and holy cow, what a difference they have made!

There is now light penetrating to the forest floor, which will allow us to plant more native shrubs and ferns in the fall. A diverse forest is a healthy one!

In the meantime, we have some cleanup to do to support the team's efforts. Come on out this Tuesday for some forest TLC!

Please enter the farm via Cemetery Rd and park in the parking area near the farm gate. We will head into the planting area from there. Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PcakxD4WEZ9ziEL8

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

It’s not every day one of your founding Board Members turns 100!

We hope to see the Land Trust community for a celebration of Yvonne Kuperberg, a true trailblazer and ally to our island’s wild lands!

VBA volunteers partner with the Land Trust every week to help maintain and restore habitat in Paradise Valley.  They remove invasive plants, prepare new areas for planting, and plant native trees and shrubs that capture and store carbon and provide food and shelter for the whole array of local wildlife.  And they have a great time doing it together!  Come join the fun!

Meeting place: Judd Creek Loop Trail trailhead, on the east side of 111th Ave. S.W. in Paradise Valley. Parking is along the road. Note: This is not the Kneeshaw Trailhead parking lot, which is further north and on the west side of 111th. If you arrive late, follow the signs to the worksite.

Tools needed: Bring your own shovels and loppers, if possible. A few extra tools will be on hand, but bringing your own helps assure we have enough for everybody!

 Attire: Please bring your own work gloves. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Long pants and long-sleeved shirts are strongly recommended.

Questions? Contact Jim Evans at frangula54@gmail.com.

The Paradise Valley Preserve is the property of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust. All of the Vashon Bird Alliance’s activities on the preserve are planned out in consultation with land trust stewardship staff and in accordance with the Paradise Valley Preserve management plan.

This week, the Stew Crew is heading out to the Kneeshaw property to handle invasive yellow iris (we’ve been fighting this particular foe for quite a while, as seen by this photo of interns from four seasons past) around the pond, and ivy and holly along the trail.

Meet up at the main Judd Creek Preserve Parking lot; we’ll walk over from there.

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪

The Stew Crew are heading back out to the Judd Creek Loop this week to continue their battle against invasive climbing nightshade along the creek! Bring your wadeable boots this week; we’re tackling some hard-to-reach spots 💪

Be sure to dress for the weather and bring hydration. We'll have gloves, tools, and everything else you need 🍪