Conservation Burial Initiative: March 2026 Progress Update

Over the past year, many supporters have asked about the status of Jefferson Land Trust’s conservation burial initiative and we’re pleased to share that our commitment to bringing this innovative conservation burial option to Jefferson County has remained steady. The board of Olympic Wildland Burial Grounds LLC (a subsidiary of the Land Trust), Land Trust staff members, and other partners have continued advancing the concept, navigating complex land-use questions, and laying the groundwork for what we believe can be a meaningful contribution to land conservation and environmentally friendly burial practice in our region.

Some of our most impactful conservation work unfolds over long timelines, and this project is no exception. Conservation burial has been explored in our community before; however, the regulatory and land-use hurdles are significant, and building community support takes time. As a land trust committed to permanence, we embrace the long view and are staying the course. In this case, that means continuing community conversations, adapting to policy shifts, and seeking a path that aligns with conservation values, county regulations, and stated community needs and wishes.

In recent months, the board of Olympic Wildland Burial Grounds (OWBG), with the help of the Land Trust’s Director of Stewardship and Resilience, Erik Kingfisher, has evaluated the viability of creating a conservation burial ground on a remote, 70+ acre forested site that’s already owned and cared for by the Land Trust.

Advancing this site for conservation burial has required working with experts to study the physical characteristics of the property, including its hydrogeology and wetland conditions, and thoughtful navigation of land-use regulations. The results of this work indicate that portions of this property are well-suited for conservation burial and memorial forest operations. With continued coordination around land-use regulations and neighboring community outreach planned in the next few months, we hope to be in a position to seek regulatory approval later this summer.

What Is Conservation Burial?

A green burial ground is more than a final resting place. It’s a living landscape that embodies the conservation values cherished by so many in our community.

Conservation burial is a natural practice that supports land stewardship and ecological restoration. It forgoes embalming and relies only on biodegradable materials, such as shrouds or simple wooden caskets. Individual sites are unmarked, carefully documented, and restored with native plants as part of a long-term habitat plan designed to improve the land.

Conservation burial is a type of natural or green burial that helps preserve, enhance, and restore a natural area in conjunction with a conservation organization that guarantees the preservation of the burial ground in perpetuity.

What Is a Memorial Forest?

As envisioned, the site may also include a memorial forest, where families could scatter ashes or cremated remains in designated areas using environmentally responsible practices aligned with land stewardship goals.

Both conservation burial and memorial forest options differ from conventional cemeteries and burial practices by prioritizing ecological health, quiet use, and permanent land protection.

How the Work Is Organized

OWBG, a nonprofit subsidiary LLC, is governed by a volunteer board which is responsible for strategy, budget, and operational oversight. The Land Trust is incubating the initiative, bringing our depth of experience in land stewardship, conservation planning, and perpetual protection. The OWBG board guides operations and policies, ensuring that burial practices meet established green burial certification standards and align with long-term land restoration and stewardship goals.

This structure allows the Land Trust to advance conservation burial while remaining firmly grounded in our core role as a land conservation and stewardship organization.

Stewardship that Endures

“Helping our community establish a conservation burial ground and memorial forest is another way we can learn to care for this place we love in perpetuity,” explains Erik. “We’re all here living and breathing temporarily, while the land endures through generations.”

Conservation burial offers a rare opportunity to make a final choice in life that actively restores the land. Each burial contributes to healthier soils, thriving trees, and resilient wildlife habitat, while allowing individuals and families to leave a legacy that reflects their values.

It also deepens how land is protected over time. Beyond legal tools like conservation easements and ownership, conservation burial creates a cultural bond to place — weaving human stories, memory, and reverence into the landscape itself. That connection strengthens long-term care by grounding conservation not just in law, but in heart and meaning.

Finally, conservation burial and memorial forests provide a durable way to fund restoration and stewardship over time. Proceeds from burials and the scattering of cremated or composted remains support the healing of landscapes shaped by past impacts, such as aggressive logging, and help ensure these places remain cared for and protected for generations to come.

Looking Ahead

The OWBG board will gather later this week for a strategic retreat to map next steps, including governance needs, timeline planning, community outreach, and future board recruitment. More than 300 community members have already expressed interest in the initiative, underscoring the local passion and curiosity surrounding this work.

We’ll keep the community posted as our planning continues. We’re grateful for the patience, engagement, and support of our community as we continue to move this work forward with transparency and integrity.

Click here to learn more about conservation burial, including answers to frequently asked questions.