Okanogan Land Trust

THE TRUST COLLABORATES WITH LANDOWNERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND BUSINESSES TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT NATURAL LANDSCAPES, WIDE OPEN SPACES, WORKING FARMS AND RANCHES, CLEAN AIR AND WATER, AND ABUNDANT WILDLIFE.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS:OKANOGAN LAND TRUST CONTINUED ITS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND OUTREACH-RELATED PROGRAM WORK. WE HELD THE 6TH YEAR OF OUR OKAKNOWLEDGY EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS, FEATURING SPEAKERS FROM A VARIETY OF NATURAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY FIELDS OF KNOWLEDGE. WHILE COVID PREVIOUSLY COMPELLED US TO MOVE TO A VIRTUAL FORMAT, IN SPRING 2022 WE WERE ABLE TO HOLD OUR FIRST IN-PERSON EVENTS IN MORE THAN TWO YEARS. IN ADDITION TO OKAKNOWLEDGY, WE HELD A NEW EVENT, SWIMMING UPSTREAM, WHICH FOCUSED ON EFFORTS TO RESTORE SALMON IN THE OKANOGAN RIVER SYSTEM. INTEREST AND ATTENDANCE FOR THESE PROGRAMS, BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON, REMAIN STRONG. WE ALSO HELD A VIRTUAL VERSION OF OUR LONG-RUNNING FUNDRAISER, THE PONDEROSA EVENT, WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL AND WELL-RECEIVED.

WORKING FOR WILDLIFE/BIG CONSERVATION:OKANOGAN LAND TRUST CONTINUED WORK ON A MULTI-YEAR INITIATIVE INVOLVING SEVERAL PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS CALLED WORKING FOR WILDLIFE (WFW), WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION (NFWF). FUNDING HAS BEEN USED FOR STAFF TIME AND OTHER EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH EXPLORING CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PROJECT AREA, AS WELL AS DUE DILIGENCE ACTIVITIES ON POTENTIAL PROJECTS SUCH AS APPRAISALS AND BASELINES. THIS FUNDING HAS ENABLED SEVERAL POTENTIAL DONATED CONSERVERATION EASEMENT PROJECTS TO MOVE FORWARD, AND WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE SOME MATCHING FUNDS ON STATE-FUNDED CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROJECTS.WE ALSO LED A PRELIMINARY PHASE OF A POTENTIAL NEW COLLABORATION AMONG PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS (CALLED "BIG CONSERVATION"), FUNDED BY THE LEITER FAMILY FOUNDATION. WE HOPE THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD ON THE SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS OF THE WFW INITIATIVE, WHICH IS MOVING TO COMPLETION IN 2022.

CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP:OKANOGAN LAND TRUST CONTINUED ITS WORK ON CONSERVING AND STEWARDING LAND AND WATER RESOURCES. WE CLOSED ON A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AMENDMENT PROJECT, FUNDED IN PART BY THE WASHINGTON STATE RECREATION AND CONSERVATION OFFICE, WHICH ADDED 900 ACRES TO AN EXISTING CONSERVED PROPERTY. WE MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS ON THREE ADDITIONAL PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE SAME OFFICE. WE ALSO WORKED WITH THE METHOW BEAVER PROJECT ON TWO PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY. WHEN COMPLETED, THESE WILL RESULT IN CONSERVATION EASEMENTS AND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION ON TWO PROPERTIES WITH SIGNIFICANT RIPARIAN HABITAT.