A Letter from Our Executive Director

Dear Supporters of Skagit Land Trust,

I grew up believing wilderness meant land without people. Then that idea fell apart. In many places I came to know, people and culture were woven into even the wildest landscapes.

I deeply value our designated wilderness areas. Without legal protection, many would be gone or greatly diminished. We can’t take them for granted. They’re rare, and getting rarer. They’re worth fighting for.

At the same time, working in conservation, I’ve come to see natural lands as alive with stories — shaped by those who have lived on and with the land. In our work, we see how connection to place becomes responsibility. Landowners stop thinking of themselves as owners, and start thinking like stewards, caring for the land now, and passing it on with intention.

Cascadia Daily News recently published the story of Mary Brown Stewart – the bulb pioneer. Mary arrived on Samish Island in 1903 to land SLT now owns. Soon after, she ordered a boatload of bulbs and was the first person in the Skagit to start growing tulips as a business venture.

Generations later, the family was thrilled to have Skagit Land Trust purchase this now-forested property. Mary’s great-grandchildren, who relayed her story in the article, say that they “view perpetual stewardship as an ideal fate for the land she nurtured.”

Indigenous histories stretch back thousands of years, grounded in relationship and coexistence with the land to this day. There’s wisdom there about stewardship that we still have much to learn from. This is one of the reasons I am so pleased that our community, Skagit County, and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, had the support of the Upper Skagit Indian Nation to expand and protect Yudwasta Big Rock County Park (pictured left).

The property Skagit Land Trust bought and held, and an additional parcel donated by neighbors, were officially transferred to County Parks at the end of February. You can learn more about this project and its history through our “Explore Our Lands” page.

Today’s stories of conservation take place within a much older, deeper narrative. Skagit Land Trust also recently acquired a property that was once the mouth of the slough that joined Padilla and Alice Bays (pictured below). This property, which is in close proximity to A7ts’íqen, formerly a large Samish village, is part of a much larger history with many stories. Some are not easy stories, but they are important. The Samish Indian Nation’s website has a history section with an excellent storyboard and timeline that is well worth visiting.

While it is critical to protect our most important natural lands, it doesn’t end there. Stewardship deepens from caring for the land. It is a critical aspect of developing a conservation ethic and saving land for future generations of people and wildlife. You, as partners and members, are important stewards of the places we conserve. Thank
you!

Molly Doran, Executive Director