December 2022 – Photos From The Field
Category: Blog
November 2022 – Photos from the Field
October 2022 – Photos from the Field
September 2022 – Photos from the Field
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’ “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.”
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 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.
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 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.
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 entered a thick forest of tall firs and maples to find an awesome, unobstructed view of Puget Sound saltwater. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were looking at Nisqually Reach. My wife was the first to say it. “This is the place!”
Yes, there was a house, old but cute. With some remodeling, it had the potential to become a nice B&B as well as a very comfortable home for us. However, the house was not what made us fall in love with this place. It was the peaceful, quiet waterfront location, one that seemed protected from the busy outside world by fourteen acres of tall trees, other native plants and 400 feet of pristine salt waterfront.
Back in 1999, the zoning in this area was one house per acre. That meant if someone else bought this property, they could have cut down the trees, ripped out most of the native vegetation and built up to twelve houses! What would happen to the wildlife? How much extra pollution or rainwater runoff would have been generated by this? Fortunately, the owners sold it to us. Our mission was to become good stewards of the land and water, while still running a B&B.
The word used above, “protected,” became, quite coincidentally, our path to the Nisqually Land Trust (NLT). One of our very first B&B guests was a board member of a land trust back east. He gave us a set of three books, Preserving Family Lands, Books 1-3. From these, we learned the benefits of a conservation easement for the land itself as well as for the owners. We contacted the Nisqually Land Trust to get advice.
Two members of the NLT, George Walter and Joe Kane, visited us and explained the easement process. We learned that NLT already had an easement for property just west of “our” cove, Mallard Cove, a mini estuary. This neighboring parcel is now owned outright by NLT. By the end of our meeting with George and Joe, we felt like we were part of their team, whose goal is to preserve and protect nature.
Don and Linda Malatesta
Twenty years later, we still enjoy being part of that team. NLT work parties come out twice a year to help us control invasive plant species. Staff members give us great advice on the best native trees and plants to add to our forest when needed. Our goal is to plant at least two trees for every one that falls due to old age, disease or storm. After thirteen years of donating a stay at our inn and a guided kayak tour of Nisqually Wildlife Refuge to NLT’s annual auction, we are actively looking for other ways to support the land trust. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities. We’ll see you out on a work party someday!
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 Agro-Environment in the University of Montpellier, France. I come to Olympia every summer to see my family and spend my holiday with them. This August, I joined the Nisqually Land Trust as an intern and worked with the team for four weeks. At the end of my internship, I would like to record the amazing experience of this summer and share it with you.
I like living beings, especially plants. I always dream of seeing all kinds of plants around the world with my own eyes. Regrettably, I have always lived in populous cities, which makes it difficult for me to have access to nature. My dream has always been just a dream, and I look forward to achieving it someday in the future. However, when I learned that with the process of globalization, human activities have caused huge changes in the biosphere, and the biodiversity in most areas of the world is showing a decreasing trend, I felt anxious. “Selfishly” speaking, I do not want the plants to disappear before I am able to see them all. I must do something for environmental protection. This is the main reason why I sought the internship opportunity from the Nisqually Land Trust.
I feel very lucky to have this internship with the Nisqually Land Trust, and I did enjoy it. I was worried at the beginning whether I could perform well, since I had no internship experience before. But after seeing my two leaders, Ian and Courtney, my worries were dispelled – they are easy to get along with. They gave a detailed introduction to each task that I had never done before (which literally means every task), so that I could understand the purpose of the work well and get started quickly. Thanks to Ian and Courtney, I have done a greater job than I thought I could do with their help. Whether it is walking through the forest and checking the status of the property in the mountains, using tools to clean up invasive plants, or just pulling out Himalayan blackberries with volunteers around our community, it is a precious experience for me. I learned a lot of theoretical knowledge in school, which is surely very useful, but I often feel that learning in school is not the only thing I need to do. Now I’ve figured out that, only when I work in the field with my feet on the ground can I truly receive the feeling of “I am indeed doing something.” Besides, observing in the field is also a good way to learn new things – I have learned to identify many kinds of invasive plants! This is much faster than memorizing an identification key.
Time is fleeting, and I still miss the time I spent working with the team. Thanks to the staff and volunteers of the Nisqually Land Trust, your continued efforts have improved the ecological environment on the Nisqually River. Thanks to the Nisqually Land Trust team for accepting me as an intern, which made it more clear for me what is supposed be done to protect the environment. Thanks to all people who are concerned about environmental issues, the public’s awareness of environmental protection is the key to making our home a better place. I am looking forward to meeting you again. See you next time!
Sihe SUN
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 enough for welcoming me in and treating me as if I’d been with them all along.
Being on the land and learning what it takes to restore habitat in the Nisqually River Watershed has opened up a new world to me, which includes lots of fieldwork, detailed planning, and dedicated, long-term support from volunteers, partners, and the communities of the watershed. Over the last 10 months, this new world has become a place where I am not simply a consumer of the outside world, but a participant in its ongoing growth and development. I have discovered how I am one part of a larger team that works in connection with the environment around me, giving back as nature freely gives to all of us.
My service term may be finishing up in just a few weeks, but this experience will forever be a part of my life from here on out, along with this watershed and its amazing beauty and resilience. It’s an experience that will not only be a sweet memory of a time in service to the land but also a steppingstone toward the greater responsibility laid upon my heart to do whatever I can to protect and conserve this lovely earth, finding ways to continue to grow and work with nature for the sake of my family’s future and the future of all the generations to come after me.
One part of my responsibilities as an AmeriCorps member includes submitting a “story of service” each quarter of my 10 and ½ month term. These are sent to the Washington Service Corps to post on their website and social media. The purpose of a service story is to share my experience and the impact I have at my assigned site as well as the impact it has on me! Writing my story at the Land Trust has become a “looked forward to” part of my service, documenting my time and sharing it. This is my last “story of service” for my term, as I will complete my 1700 hours at the end of July and pass on my NLT Volunteer Coordinator duties to the next AmeriCorps Members lucky enough to be chosen to serve with the Land Trust. I do plan on and hope to continue to see you out on the land at work parties and other NLT events. Just because it’s the end of my official service with the Land Trust, it’s certainly not the end of my service to the land and this important conservation organization for the Nisqually River Watershed. So, it’s not goodbye, but instead, it’s “see you soon!”