Why conserve land?

Forests

Forests are the anchor in the storm. Healthy forests are more resilient to drought and wildfire. They capture heavy rains to fill our aquifer for the long summer to come.
Streams

Vashon’s creeks pulse with water and wildlife – songbirds migrating from the south, salmon coming home from the sea, and locals like otters and coyotes. As we continue to restore our creeks, they will serve us well as places for rainwater to gather without flooding roads and homes.
Shorelines

Shorelines connect us all to Puget Sound, pumping life into the food web around us. Natural shorelines are a buffer to sea level rise and landslides, allowing us all to enjoy the beach in peace.
Working Lands

The Land Trust supports the wise use of land to meet human needs like lumber and food. We manage our forests for health and resilience, and we support local agriculture that grows soil health and healthy food at the same time.
People and Place

Trails through the forest and along creeks give us refuge from heat and stress. Land Trust preserves are open for hiking, learning, and healing. In these ways, the land gives back – completing the cycle that starts with our care of the land.

Our Programs

When the health of the environment thrives so do the humans that inhabit it. It is not enough to just hold land in conservation. It is necessary to strive to make these sensitive habitats thrive. It is our obligation as land stewards to make all the lands we hold healthier and more resilient through active restoration and management.

The conservation program creates resilience against the climate changes to come: harder winter rains, longer and hotter summers, and rising seas. Today and into the future, the lands we conserve are the bedrock of a healthy, reciprocal relationship with our island and our planet.

The Land Trust is the Island organization that creates equitable access to lands – for the health and happiness of our community.

Our trails are open to the public free of charge. The All-Ages Trail provides access to nature whether you are in a stroller or a wheelchair.
We partner with local non-profits to provide land for programming or to find a “forever home.”