Youth are the future leaders and stewards of our natural heritage — today’s young people will eventually make decisions about public policy, land-use planning, funding, and legislation that affect the natural world.
Skagit Land Trust recognizes the importance of introducing younger generations to the many values of nature conservation and stewardship. Our Outreach and Education staff work hard each year to provide dozens of hands-on nature-learning experiences in school classrooms and on field trips to our protected lands.
Kulshan Creek Neighborhood Youth Program
In partnership with Mount Vernon Police Department and Catholic Housing Services, Skagit Land Trust provides several fun events each year for children and youth living in Kulshan Creek, Via Santa Maria, and Casa de San Jose neighborhoods. These outings include nature day trips to Skagit Land Trust properties and other conservation-themed field trips.
Utopia Field Trips for Second-Graders
Every Spring since 2018, Skagit Land Trust’s education team has been hosting student field trips for over 400 Sedro-Woolley and Mount Vernon second-graders at our Utopia Conservation Area. Students move through six themed Investigation Stations focused on fun nature topics such as birds & snags, beavers, macroinvertibrates, and seed dispersal.
Interested in volunteering with youth at Utopia in May and June? Please email Stacy at volunteers@skagitlandtrust.org for information.
Conservation Classroom
Skagit Land Trust invites youth groups, organizations, and school classes out to Trust-owned Conservation Areas near their communities for experiential learning in a natural setting. These outdoor classrooms further engage youth in natural sciences and can be used to teach many components of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) curriculum, while promoting lifelong stewardship ethics.
Our education staff also have created kits that teachers and students can use to learn about nature and conservation topics. Email Stacy at stacyd@skagitlandtrust.org for more information about accessing these kits and using them in your classroom.
Story Trails
The Trust also engages Skagit youth through our partnership with libraries, particularly the Upper Skagit Library. We invite you to visit our 2025 Story Trail at Barr Creek Conservation Area near Rockport, where you can enjoy a walk up to the falls and along Barr Creek while reading One Day This Tree Will Fall.