1. Upcoming Events
Join your fellow Conservation
Partners for fun field trips,
activities and volunteer
events! Be on the lookout
for invitations in the mail
next spring. We look
forward to celebrating our
conservation results with you.
Happy Holidays!
Letter from the Field: technology in action
Dear Conservation Partners,
The ongoing and generous support of Conservation
Partners like you has led to the preservation and restoration
of 7,500 acres—an entire watershed—at Ellsworth Creek
Preserve in southwest Washington.
As the project’s forest ecologist, I’ve had some wild
adventures here: I’ve snorkeled in ice-cold streams
counting fish, crawled through bear tunnels and even
come face-to-face with a cougar. But what I love most about my job is the
progress we’ve made restoring this magnificent coastal forest.
At Ellsworth, we’re using new techniques to achieve conservation on even bigger
scales. We recently flew over the preserve in a plane equipped with a remote
sensing system called LiDAR, which uses a laser to map tree height and density
and creates images that reveal the diversity of the forest canopy. This technology
helps measure our progress towards restoring old-growth forest conditions.
Conservation doesn’t mean setting aside a forest and leaving it untouched.
It means finding the brightest ways to restore forests while also ensuring the
economic and social health of human communities.
Our success on Washington’s coast depends upon the commitment of many
partners, including Conservation Partners like you. I thank you for your support!
Liane Davis, forest ecologist
nature.org/washington/cp
Creature Feature
Meet the Pacific Giant Salamander.
This amphibian predator can grow
to be 2 feet long. They’re plentiful at
Ellsworth Creek Preserve, where they
eat bugs, fish and other amphibians.
Pacific Giant Salamanders breed in
the headwaters of forest streams and
spend much of their time under logs
or large stones. They need clean water
to thrive. Habitat for such creatures
is threatened by development and
logging, which can cause stream
conditions to degrade. Your support
protects forests and waters that
animals need to survive on
Washington’s coast.
Newsletter
Issue Four | Autumn 2010
Pacific Giant Salamanders thrive at Ellsworth Creek Preserve.
Vine maples in the fall.
© Andrea Scasso
© Jeff Goulden/iStock

2. Dani Beam, Conservation Partners Program Manager • dbeam@tnc.org • (206) 343-4345, ext. 394
The Nature Conservancy • 1917 First Ave • Seattle, WA 98101 • nature.org/washington/cp
Make a difference today
Over the past year, your gift helped us invest in our
greatest conservation opportunities and tackle the
most difficult conservation challenges in our state
and beyond. On behalf of nature, and in the spirit
of the season, we thank you.
As a Conservation Partner, you are one of our most
valued supporters. You receive invitations to members-
only activities, special insider updates and access to
scientists on the cutting-edge of conservation.
Your end-of-year gift will bring back salmon across
Washington’s coast, protect Puget Sound waters and
restore our eastern Washington forests and sagelands.
Donate online at nature.org/washington or call
Dani Beam at (206) 343-4345, ext. 394.
20 years ago, The Nature Con-
servancy led a broad coalition
to help create the Washington
Wildlife and Recreation Pro-
gram (WWRP). This visionary
state program provides much-
needed funding to protect
habitat, preserve working farms
and create new local and state
parks. WWRP has so far pro-
vided more than $618 million
for more than 1,000 projects.
The state Legislature will
decide the fate of this popular
program this winter. You can
help nature and communities
across Washington by urging
your state representatives to
fully fund WWRP this year.
As wild animals move across
Washington, they encounter
developments, freeways and
other obstacles. The result can
be dangerous to wildlife and
humans. Conservancy ecologist
Brad McRae is using high-tech
computer software to map ob-
structions to animal movements
and pinpoint critical areas for
their safe passage. The maps will
help animals move safely so they
are less vulnerable to threats.
Your support enables staff like
Brad to use
new science to
ensure nature
can thrive in
Washington,
even as human
communities
continue
to grow.
New flood gates installed at
Fisher Slough last year have
increased salmon passage and
reduced flooding in the Skagit
delta. Recently, heavy-duty
machinery helped us reroute
a drainage ditch to restore 60
acres of freshwater tidal marsh
and vital habitat for juvenile
Chinook salmon. An estimated
16,000 more salmon will now
reach Puget Sound each year.
Private donations from people
like you enabled us to qualify for
federal funding to purchase and
restore this property.
Science Stewardship Policy
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
SEATTLE, WA
Permit No. 1203
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© Gerrit Vyn
© Loretta Hostettler/iStock