Education
Educational Programming
Providing education about the natural world is important to us. Increasing the community's knowledge of, appreciation for, and activity in the natural world deeply enriches the lives of those who live here while building sustained interest in and support for land and water conservation in Jefferson County.
Our long-term commitment to the land we protect inherently means that the task of caring for the land will extend far beyond the lifetime of any individual. For that reason, we offer educational programming and work with local public schools to provide outdoor educational learning opportunities designed to instill in local students curiosity about and appreciation for the natural world around us.
Next Generation Youth Education
Since 2013, we’ve partnered with K-12 public schools in East Jefferson County to build youth education programs that support teachers in the work they are already doing in the classroom and encourage local kids to view the natural world with wonder and curiosity. As part of our next generation youth education, hundreds of students of all ages visit our nature preserves to participate in place-based, real-world learning projects each year: they can experience salmon returning home, learn about birds and nurse logs, explore stream and forest health, and even plan and carry out wildlife habitat restoration projects, connect to future career paths, and much more.
Youth Corps Program
Our annual Spring Break Youth Corps Program offers one-week, field-based, paid internships for high school students aged 16 and up. YouthCorps participants work as a team to learn about and undertake a variety of habitat enhancement and conservation activities on permanently protected nature preserves across East Jefferson County, working with and learning from Jefferson Land Trust staff members, volunteers, natural resource professionals, and other local experts. The students are able to get a feel for what it’s like to work in the conservation field and connect to future career paths.
Northwest Naturalist Program
The Northwest Naturalist Program provides a way for local people to improve their own naturalist skills and knowledge, become more familiar with the land conservation work being achieved by the community through Jefferson Land Trust, and become more involved in meaningful and important ways.
Tidelines to Timberline Natural History Course
Offered each spring, our Tidelands to Timberline natural history course is an eight-week, field-based course that offers committed participants the chance to become intimately familiar with the natural history and ecosystems of the northeast Olympic Peninsula. Because this course is extremely popular, there’s a lottery system for selecting participants and scholarships are available.
Nature in Your Neighborhood On-Demand
The Nature in Your Neighborhood program was developed as a virtual way of bringing a little nature into people’s lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Each module focuses on a different aspect of Jefferson County natural history — from birds to trees and from insects to mammals — and has activities and resources you can use to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the wonderful natural heritage we share.
Discovering the Forest
In the Discovering the Forest virtual learning program a variety of community members shared their knowledge about the plants, trees, animals, and birds that call forests home — and discussed many of the ways we benefit from forests and can better steward their abundant resources for the future.
Land Trust Guest Speakers
Would your community group like to learn more about Jefferson Land Trust’s mission, projects, perspective, and/or our programs? If so, please contact us by email at info[at]saveland.org to inquire about having one of our staff members be a guest speaker at an event or meeting.