My name is Emily, and I serve as the Habitat Stewardship AmeriCorps Member with the Nisqually Land Trust. My responsibilities include leading habitat restoration volunteer work parties once or twice a week and coordinating the site steward program, through which volunteers “adopt” a site to periodically monitor for human impacts, invasive plants, and other issues. I also spend over half my time in the field, serving with other staff and my fellow AmeriCorps member on environmental stewardship projects across the nearly 6,000 acres that Nisqually Land Trust owns.

In the past, I’ve volunteered for local community organizations many times, from attending one-off events at an animal shelter to helping out every week at a pollinator garden. I had great experiences with other volunteer coordinators who were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and great at making me feel part of the group. When I started this position, I was excited to step into that role, to be the one recruiting volunteers and welcoming them into the Land Trust community, to be the one sharing what I know about the land we work on and the importance of protecting it. I hoped I would enjoy this part of my service, but I was nervous, too—I had never served as a volunteer coordinator before.

These past few months, my hope was validated. I discovered that volunteer coordination is something I would be happy to continue doing beyond my term in AmeriCorps. Each week I advertise events, recruit volunteers, and lead work parties—welcoming volunteers, introducing them to the task of the day, checking in and answering questions, and of course, handing out snacks.

Over these past few months, the volunteers I coordinate have contributed over five hundred hours of their time. They planted over two thousand trees and shrubs and removed dozens of garbage bags worth of invasive species and old plant protector tubes. The volunteers have a shared passion for the environment that is genuinely inspiring to be around, and each individual brings their own knowledge and experiences to the work we’re doing.

This November in particular, groups of volunteers came out to a field along the Nisqually River multiple days a week to plant native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. It’s great to see familiar faces each time—from folks who’d been coming to work parties for years, to those who joined for planting this year and returned week after week. I love chatting with the volunteers I already know, hearing about what’s new in their lives as we work and learning from the expertise of those who have been doing this work longer than I have. I have a tremendous respect for those who choose to give their time, week after week, on rainy days and freezing ones, to help make the natural environment a bit better, tree by tree.

At the same time, a new face is always exciting. I love getting to know folks who haven’t worked with the Land Trust before, learning what motivated them to come out on a Wednesday or Saturday morning, and in turn, sharing what the Nisqually Land Trust does and explaining how the forest we’re restoring in that field along the shore will be important for the salmon, who need a shaded river with woody debris from fallen trees. I always enjoy taking new volunteers (and some returning ones!) down to the Nisqually after we finish planting for the day to share more about the river—from the needs of the salmon who live in it, to its dramatic erosion of the bank we’re standing on.

The accomplishments of all our volunteers are incredibly motivating. It’s so satisfying to look back at the rows and rows of plants that are in the ground at the end of the work party and announce that this morning, we’ve planted hundreds.

As one of four people on the field stewardship team at the Land Trust, it’s easy to see that we couldn’t tackle projects like that November planting without all the volunteers who chose to pitch in. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to get to know these folks through my AmeriCorps position, and I look forward to many successful Wednesday and Saturday morning work parties in 2023, as we begin our next planting projects.

 

 

A group of ten First Creek Middle School students from the eastside of Tacoma got the chance to get outside and connect with wildlife as part of the new Wildlife Watchers Program the Nisqually Land Trust launched this spring. The Land Trust teamed up with the Greentrike and Tacoma Schools’ “Club Beyond” afterschool program. The kids learned about wildlife and nature through hands-on activities and field trips to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and the Nisqually Land Trust’s newly acquired property on the Nisqually floodplain at Brighton Creek.    

In addition to Land Trust staff, partners from the Nisqually River Education Project, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Wolf Camp, and the Nisqually Tribe all took turns leading activities including nature hikes, wildlife tracking, bird identification and calls, salmon life cycle, salmon dissection, native plants identification, and traditional tribal uses, and the ten essentials for outdoor exploration.   

“It’s been fun to see the kids who at first were apprehensive and quiet enjoy themselves and see the enthusiastic students from the start get into observing wildlife,” said Maya Nabipoor Nisqually Land Trust’s Americorps Service Member who organized the new outreach program. “We hope that they will carry this experience with them and continue to find opportunities to get out in nature and connect with wildlife.”   

All the participating youth also received a package of outdoor gear that they can use after the program is over. Patagonia generously donated backpacks and coats for the students, MiiR donated water bottles, and funds from the WDFW grant supported the purchase of hiking boots and other outdoor essentials from REI.    

“Organizing this program has been one of the highlights of my service with the Nisqually Land Trust,” says Maya Nabipoor. “Being able to provide these students with opportunities and experiences they don’t normally get through their school was so rewarding, and it feels good to think that they might remember this experience for a very long time.”

Hello! My name is Cheryl (Cher) Aguilar Henriquez. I am a first-year undergraduate student at Saint Martin’s University, majoring in Environmental Science. I have been an intern for the Nisqually Land Trust since early January. I applied for this internship because I was sure that a hands-on experience in the field would give me a good look into a possible career path. I was correct! So far in my internship experience I have been able to plant roses and a multitude of tree species, prepare plants for planting, remove invasive plant species, and partake in several ASMs (Annual Site Monitoring).

Throughout my internship I have been accompanied by Courtney and Ian. They have been very helpful with my inexperience by thoroughly explaining tasks and tool use. Along with this they make sure to educate me in the reasoning for the tasks. I am also fortunate that they share their wisdom and knowledge on the natural world! On ASMs they point out plants and trees as well as their identifiers and other facts about their history.

This internship has been amazing in educating me in restoration and stewardship. I have seen so many beautiful sites and along with it have learned much about their animal and plant inhabitants. I am fortunate to be having this experience and am thankful for the opportunity. I have also been able to learn more about the entire processes of what goes into a non-profit and non-profit work as a career by attending a staff meeting. This was very exciting as it gave me the opportunity to learn more about the staff behind the trust as well as hear more about the different goings on within a non-profit.

Thank you Cher! We enjoyed exploring with you and appreciate your can-do spirit.

 

 

 

 

My name is Jaelynn, and I was honored to be able to go out with the Nisqually Land Trust to job shadow Courtney and Ian in a day of work in the field. I am a running start student at South Puget Sound Community College and am currently enrolled in an environmental science class. For our final projects we either got the choice of drafting a paper or job shadowing someone in the field. I have learned so many interesting and important things about biodiversity and the importance of upholding habitats in this class that I wanted to see how certain organizations were applying what I learned about, in their everyday jobs.

At first, I had no idea what to expect and was a little nervous going out into the field with no experience and only the knowledge I learned in class. However, all my worries disappeared as I met up with Courtney and Ian and they explained how our day would go and all the things we would be completing. They were so passionate about their jobs and made sure to explain everything to me and often urged me to ask more questions.

Our day consisted of hiking through the woods and monitoring new and invasive species in the surrounding area. Hiking under the large, outstretched canopy of Big Cedar and Western hemlock was super peaceful and a wonderful way to interact with wildlife and monitor the species growing there. It was honestly super awesome walking through the brush and then coming to a wide opening at the Nisqually River and just being surrounded by the sound of its flowing current and the nearby chirping birds. I have always loved hiking and exploring new locations in nature but have not been taught many of the ways we can help wildlife and create sustainable habitats. I gained a lot of knowledge of the natural habitats and species of plants that live there and what jobs they perform in the ecosystem.

On top of this, I got the opportunity to help stake down tree tubes around freshly planted trees. Before coming on this job shadow, I had no idea what the tree tube’s purpose was or how beneficial they are to help the plants grow without interference from weather or other animals. Attaching the tubes was work, but so rewarding as we are helping the environment develop healthily and reduce CO2 emissions. Most importantly I learned the greater impact we have as humans on our surrounding area and how important it is to keep it intact to effectively use resources and give back to the environment that provides us with so much.