Notes from the Field Blog Archive

Adventures in conservation, as told by Land Trust staff and volunteers.

Settling Into The Volunteer Coordinator Groove – Emily Simroth - 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,... Read more"Settling Into The Volunteer Coordinator Groove – Emily Simroth"
Wildlife Watchers – Getting Students Outside with Wildlife - 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’... Read more"Wildlife Watchers – Getting Students Outside with Wildlife"
Winter Internship 2022 - 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... Read more"Winter Internship 2022"
March 2022 Job Shadow - 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... Read more"March 2022 Job Shadow"
A Bed and Breakfast at Hogum Bay by Don Malatesta - This post is written by Don Malatesta who lives with his wife Linda at our Hogum Bay Conservation Easement: In August 1999, my wife and I rounded the corner of a gravel drive in Thurston County in search of “it,” the perfect location for a bed and breakfast inn. We... Read more"A Bed and Breakfast at Hogum Bay by Don Malatesta"
August 2021 Reflection - My name is Sihe, I am an undergraduate student of plant biology. I was born in Wuhan, China and lived there until I got my high school degree. Then I went to France for school and studied Environmental Engineering for two years. Now I am majoring in Plant Biology for... Read more"August 2021 Reflection"
Story of Service – July 2021 - by Susannah Prenoveau | July 19, 2021 Preparing to exit my term of service with the Nisqually Land Trust brings mixed feelings. It’s been a tremendous year of growth for me as I’m sure these years are for all AmeriCorps members, and I can’t thank the site staff and volunteers... Read more"Story of Service – July 2021"
Adventure at South Oro Bay - by Susannah Prenoveau | June 7, 2021 While stepping carefully and sinking down into the clay substrate along the shoreline, we looked out over the waters of South Oro Bay at Anderson Island. It was a little after noon on Friday, May 14th and my friend and I were tasked... Read more"Adventure at South Oro Bay"
Celebrating Our Stewardship Volunteers – May 2021 - By Susannah Prenoveau To our wonderful volunteers – THANK YOU for all of the reported and unreported hours spent on Land Trust properties taking pictures and generally checkin’ in! We appreciate all of the energy and thoughtfulness that you bring to the time you share with us. Between the beginning... Read more"Celebrating Our Stewardship Volunteers – May 2021"
Story of Service – March 2021 - AmeriCorps Story of Service – Quarter 2 by Susannah Prenoveau | March 15, 2021 As I wrap up my second quarter of service with the Nisqually Land Trust, and we wrap up our planting season, I’d like to share my reflections on this special time of the year in the... Read more"Story of Service – March 2021"
Volunteer Site Steward Spotlight: Suzanne Simons - By Susannah Prenoveau, Washington Service Corps AmeriCorps Member – Nisqually Land Trust Volunteer Coordinator | December 2020 “We entered through the first gate, and headed south on faint elk trails. We passed the edge of a slough, and then across a gully we actually saw elk for the first time... Read more"Volunteer Site Steward Spotlight: Suzanne Simons"
Biodiversity Corner – Mock Orange - by Courtney Murphy | December 2020 At the beginning of planting season, volunteers often ask about a specific shrub we plant – Philadelphus lewisii, or mock orange. Many people haven’t seen mock orange around the watershed and are more familiar with its ornamental cultivars, but it’s a native shrub with... Read more"Biodiversity Corner – Mock Orange"
Story of Service – December 2020 - by Susannah Prenoveau | December 2020 As blackberry thorns pulled strands of hair out of my ponytail, I quickly realized I would need a hat for my field days with the Nisqually Land Trust as their new AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator. Trailing behind the group that first day in the field,... Read more"Story of Service – December 2020"