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!

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

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.

Me, looking out at the Nisqually River. Photo by Volunteer Site Steward, Michelle Ryder

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.

A “selfie” with volunteers pulling Scotch broom at one of Land Trust’s Mashel River properties.

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!”

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 of January 2020 and the end of April 2021, volunteers contributed 3,400 hours to caring for Land Trust properties throughout the Nisqually River Watershed. During this year of uncertainty, you stuck with us and we are incredibly grateful for your dedication.

Here are a few “Most Of…” highlights for January 2020-April 2021:
Most Dedicated Volunteer From Mountaineers: Alberto Villela
Most Dedicated ‘Newish’ Volunteer: Michelle Penick
Most Hours Spent Removing Invasive Weeds: Butch Hennings
Most Hours Spent on Site Steward Visits / Reports: John Grettenberger
Most Hours Spent Planting: James Reistroffer

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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 habitat restoration field. In case we haven’t met, my name is Susannah, and I am the AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator for the Nisqually Land Trust here in Olympia, WA. As part of my service year to this non-profit habitat conservation organization, I spend two days a week (at least) outside in nature, stewarding the land and coordinating volunteer work party events. The past few months, this stewardship has included planting thousands of native shrubs and trees with volunteers and staff in the Nisqually River Watershed.

I decided to take this year and dedicate it to service when COVID-19 freed up my previous work schedule with the loss of a newly created job opportunity I had been moving toward since 2016. I’ve never worked in my past careers with an environmental organization, but I’ve spent a lot of time in nature, and I love to move in and also sit still and observe it whenever I can. I’ve learned so much the past few months, and I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to grow in an area I never knew much about previously.

Day 1 of the 2020-2021 planting season at Powell Creek-Oct. 21, 2020

What this season of planting has taught me is how meditative a process working in nature can be and how necessary that’s become for a world currently fighting to survive a pandemic. Take, for example, this excerpt from my journal during the first months of planting I participated in back in October of 2020:

“There are moments with the groups of volunteers sitting in the dirt with us that we all fall silent. The chatter about life stops while our bodies stay in motion – digging holes, tickling roots, and patting native life back into the soul of the Nisqually River floodplains. It’s there that I find a connection to all things – the breeze that kicks up reminding us we are well into fall now, the pair of eagles flying overhead as we work, the warmth of the sun peeking out from the clouds, and the shared purpose we are all working toward together in this stunning, small part of the Pacific Northwest wonderland. This work has become a moving meditation for me, and I believe for the staff and volunteers as well. It’s a time where we discover a connection to each other in these quiet moments and in giving back to the environment in a time when so much has been taken away from us.”

Volunteers & NLT Staff during the second week of the 20-21 planting season-Oct. 28, 2020

I’m so thankful to be a part of this unusual service year – to provide opportunities for the community to get out of their homes and out into nature, to find that moving meditation which contributes not only to the health of the land in the watershed but to each of us and our personal health and well-being.

As a Washington Service AmeriCorps member, part of my service duties include 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 am making at my service site and the impact it is having on me! This is something I particularly enjoy doing, documenting my time with the Nisqually Land Trust in writing and sharing it with NLT supporters as well. I will have one more story of service before my term is over, so look for that one in June 2021!

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, I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into by committing to a service year at 45 years old in a career field that was vastly different from any of my previous education or 20 plus years of job experience. Then, we stepped out of the riparian forest and the Nisqually River came into view. This is what it’s all about, protecting this beautiful river and as they say at the Land Trust, “connecting land, water, people, and wildlife.”

My name is Susannah, and I am serving this year with the Nisqually Land Trust (NLT) in Olympia, WA where I help organize and facilitate volunteer events, which is a part of the stewardship of the 7,736 acres in the Nisqually River Watershed that are protected by the NLT. I feel lucky as a volunteer coordinator in a pandemic year. Why? Because since the start of my service year in September, I’ve been a part of an organization that continues to offer socially distanced outdoor habitat restoration events, such as planting trees and pulling invasive weeds at our protected areas in a time when many non-profit organizations have had no choice but to cancel all their volunteer opportunities. Of course, our volunteer numbers are limited for the health and safety of all involved, and many new safety protocols have been put into place, but that has simply made it more special because it allows us to get to know each other and our volunteers even better as our small, masked groups work together to conserve the lands in the watershed.

My service the last few months has not only provided me with a chance to be a part of a conservation organization protecting land and water for the benefit of wildlife and the local communities, it has also educated me about the impact I have on nature and that nature has on me. I love being in nature and always have, but prior to this it was, if I’m honest, only for my benefit. What was I giving back to nature to ensure we could continue to work together for the betterment of this world? Nothing, not really. Now, I can say I’m doing something that makes a difference for generations to come, ensuring nature is preserved for my children to enjoy. I’m also educating others, such as the families who come out to volunteer, so maybe they will understand the connectedness we all have to nature a little earlier in life than I did and consider the impact their footprint has on it and how they can help protect and preserve it for the next generation.

As an Washington Service Corps AmeriCorps member, part of my service duties include submitting a “story of service” each quarter of my 10 and a 1/2 month term. These are sent to the Washington Service Corps to post on their website and social media. The purpose for these stories of service are to describe our service experience and the impact we are making at our service sites, including a photo of ourselves in action! This is something I particularly enjoy doing, documenting my time with the Nisqually Land Trust in writing and sharing it with NLT supporters as well, so watch for my next story of service coming out in March 2021!

*The photo at the top is an ‘after’ shot of me with some newly released native Oregon Grape. This is just one spot where I’ve been pulling Scotch broom so that the native plants can grow freely!

by Addie Schlussel | September 2020

This summer, we said goodbye to one of our favorite lunch spots, an old farm bridge across Ohop Creek. The bridge was not so good for driving, at least not anymore. It was made out of wooden planks resting on the metal frame of a flatbed railroad car, and as the planks rotted over time, a former landowner seemed to have simply piled on more, creating a layer cake of wood decking in various stages of decay. But it was still walkable and made a great lunch spot with a lovely view of Ohop Creek passing underfoot.

Still, the bridge had to go. Located on the middle reaches of Ohop Creek, the bridge’s footings were causing the creek banks to erode. During the floods this past February, several feet of both banks were swept away. One more flood like that, and the bridge might have been washed away too.
Erosion like this can reduce water quality and clog salmon spawning gravels with fine silt and sand. This reach of Ohop Creek contains important spawning habitat for Chinook, chum, Coho, and pink salmon; and provides important rearing habitat for steelhead trout. Salmon spawn in gravel, where fresh water can easily make its way between the stones and eggs to keep the eggs well-oxygenated and healthy.

So, for the sake of the salmon, we pulled out the bridge. And before the bridge was removed, we partnered with the Nisqually Indian Tribe to get a jump start on restoring floodplain forest on the south side of the creek. The Tribe’s Restoration Crew planted over 10,000 native trees and shrubs; an Eagle Scout built 20 bird boxes, many of which have been installed on the south side of the creek; and a culvert was removed from the south end of the old farm road to eliminate a seasonal fish passage barrier on a tributary channel. These restoration activities have been supported through funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Washington Recreation and Conservation Office.

The Big Day, as we called it, was preceded by months of paperwork and weeks of preparation on the ground by our contractor, but the removal of the bridge itself was pretty fast. Within an hour, the bridge was attached to a very, very large crane, lifted up, and put on one of the longest truck beds I’ve ever seen, and that was that.

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As we head into the rainy season and start to see the salmon returning, it feels good to know that we’ve taken one more small step towards reducing the pressures faced by our watershed’s salmon.

Still, though, I can’t help feeling a little bit sad about losing that lunch spot.