Our featured Local Resource for this edition of Get to Know a Resource is Whatcom Land Trust. Jerry DeBacker, Development Director/Organizational Manager at Whatcom Land Trust answered our questionnaire so you could get a chance to learn their story.
For those new to Whatcom, give us a thirty second elevator speech about your organization.
Whatcom Land Trust was founded in 1984. Our mission is to protect and preserve wildlife habitat, scenic, agricultural and open space lands for future generations by securing interest in land and promoting stewardship. Preservation is accomplished through conservation easements, fee ownership, conservation transactions, and partnerships with individuals, corporations, government agencies, and non-governmental conservation organizations. Whatcom Land Trust has protected over 10,000 acres of land, including sixteen miles of salmon habitat along the Nooksack River. Cooperative efforts include the creation of the 2,300 acre Canyon Lake Community Forest which features 800-year-old trees, Lily Point Marine Reserve and the creation of 14 county parks for the recreational use of the general public.
As you can tell from our website, we love data. Share with us three interesting data points that highlight your work.
- Over 10,000 acres preserved.
- 14 county parks created.
- Over 25 miles of shoreline protected, both marine and riparian.
Though we love data, we still have heart. Tell us about an experience that has made your work worthwhile.
You merely need to be at Stimpson Nature Reserve, Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve, or the Deming Eagle Park when the grade school classes or Junior Stewards come to visit. one of the most common statements we hear from the kids is "I've got to bring my family here!"
Community health issues cross a number of sectors and agencies. Tell us about your organization's role in the complex web of community health.
Over the course of the last five years the Land Trust worked with city, county, and state agencies protect over 1000 acres in the Lake Whatcom watershed, the drinking water source for nearly 90,000 people in Whatcom County. This work continues.
Dream big here. If your organization received a sizable grant, what would you do with it?
Marine shorelines surrounding the Salish Sea are one of our most sensitive but threatened landscapes. Our spectacular coastline is nursery and feeding ground to fish and wildlife, shellfish and migrating birds. Our conserved properties protect whole food chains that native marine life depends on: herring spawning sites that feed migrating salmon which in turn help provision Orca whales. Through careful planning and close coordination with local park systems these same properties nurture the human spirit, celebrate Native American history, and offer real life educational experiences for young and old alike. We will protect more land with the next sizable grant we receive.
Give us your pitch! What are ways for a person to get involved with your organization?
We use volunteers in a variety of fashions ranging from tour docents, work parties on preserves, outreach and office tasks, and event planning and promoting.
Any final words for our readers?
Visit a park or preserve today with your family- our work as an organization is designed to legally protect the land for generation to come.
Now that you've learned a little about Whatcom Land Trust head on over to their
Local Resource Listing for information on how you can get involved.
If you would like to have your organization featured on in a Get to Know a Resource article, fill out our short Questionnaire!
