20 Good Things from 2020

As I reflect on 2020, I’m filled with gratitude for all the people who have helped Capitol Land Trust make the most of a challenging year: our diligent board of directors, our dedicated staff, our faithful supporters and volunteers, and our creative partners. With your help, conservation continued and several silver linings were revealed along the way.

We’ve compiled a list of 20 things that happened in 2020 that make us smile. I hope they do the same for you.

1. 1. The Mueller family “handed the reins back to nature” by successfully conserving their 74-acre property, which contains 4,600 feet of the Skookumchuck River.
   2. Pacific Education Institute awarded CLT their Community Collaborator of the Year award for connecting kids outdoors on conserved land.
   3. Volunteer photographer Mike Melton met two curious river otters at Twin Rivers Ranch Preserve.
   4. With the help of Tom Straub and the Bat Revival Projekt, we installed a bat box at Bayshore Preserve, which will provide a home for up to 500 bats.
   5. Over 20 Northwest Youth Corps crew members joined us on the land to improve habitat and recreational opportunities, learn, and have fun!
   6. AmeriCorps service member and Wisconsin native Justine Mischka continued her service with CLT for a second term.
   7. When we couldn’t host our annual Conservation Breakfast, we sent a call out for selfies to celebrate Earth Day. We received 195 images of our community outdoors. We couldn’t be prouder to be a part of your community.
   8. Lola Flores and Grant Jones enthusiastically joined our Board of Directors.
   9. Local landowners added two preserves to a network of conserved lands in Eld Inlet, complimenting 325 acres and several miles of shoreline already conserved.
   10. We were awarded $2,349,478 in public grants for future acquisition and restoration work.
   11. 44 amazing Land Stewards helped us fulfill our legal monitoring obligations on all conserved properties.
   12. CLT’s Board of Directors dug into the strategic planning process to guide our work for the next five years.
   13. Volunteer Trail Stewards submitted 236 trail reports, which allowed CLT staff to make sure nature preserves stay safe and fun to explore.
   14. Bayshore Preserve became more interactive with the addition of a self-guided interactive map and photo monitoring project.
   15. In partnership with the Puget Sound Estuarium, the Shelton School District, and Pacific Education Institute, we developed virtual learning opportunities to replace field trips during this time of distance learning.
   16. We shared joy with our community while witnessing the amazing chum salmon migration in creeks around Oakland Bay.
   17. Volunteers from the Olympia Waldorf School, Lacey Rotary Club, Olympia Mountaineers, and Native Plant Salvage gave back to the Earth by pulling invasive scotch broom and Himalayan blackberry, planting native trees and shrubs, and cleaning out nest boxes at the Oakland Bay Historical Park Conservation Easement.
   18. We took the chance to learn something new and hosted our first ever virtual events, Conservation Conversations.
   19. 26 environmental studies students from Chinook Middle School visited Inspiring Kids Preserve in collaboration with South Sound GREEN’s water quality monitoring program.
   20. After 10 years of environmental restoration at Twin Rivers Ranch Preserve, the last partial fish barrier along Cranberry Creek was removed.