Mission
The Bainbridge Island Land Trust’s mission is to conserve and steward the diverse natural environment of Bainbridge Island for the benefit of all.
Vision
We envision a future in which healthy natural systems support diverse and thriving populations of native plants and wildlife. Where people value the natural world and feel inspired by and compelled to care for their surroundings. Where conservation is the work of diverse community partners and is inclusive, equitable, and just. And where Bainbridge Island remains resilient and a special place to live, work, and play for generations to come.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Bainbridge Island is within the aboriginal territory of the “People of Clear Salt Water” [Suquamish People]. Expert fisherman, canoe builders and basket weavers, the Suquamish People live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington’s Central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here, they live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855.
Where we work
Bainbridge Island lies at the heart of the Puget Sound ecosystem – a region with significant ecological diversity, exceptional beauty, and abundant wildlife. In an area with growing population and development pressures, Bainbridge Island is a place where wildlife habitat, freshwater streams, open spaces, and shorelines form a mosaic of ecological systems where natural diversity and people continue to thrive. For over three decades, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust has played a vital role in conserving areas of ecological significance, including forests and wetlands serving as refuges for birds and mammals, and shorelines offering critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, including salmon. Because we are certain that natural systems will continue to experience significant stress over the next five years, we intend to remain vigilant and creative in pursuit of our mission.
How we work
The Bainbridge Island Land Trust has worked with community partners to protect over 1,400 acres of habitat since 1989. We celebrate this accomplishment and the generosity of landowners, donors, public agencies, and members of the community who have made conservation a priority. Looking forward, we recognize that keeping our efforts apace with development will be more critical than ever. We note the rapidly shrinking number of large properties remaining available for conservation and escalating land prices. And we acknowledge that climate and community resiliency will need to increasingly guide our work as landowners and stewards. Our scientific approach to conservation means we will identify and focus on the most ecologically valuable properties and utilize strategies that offer the greatest impact for achieving our goals.
We do this by seeking interests in land having significant or potentially significant conservation values such as scenic vistas, wetlands, open spaces, tidelands, forest, unique plant and animal habitats and stream and wildlife corridors. We work with private landowners to permanently protect their land using conservation easements. We also work with a variety of partners to acquire land for preserves, parks, trails and public use.
The Bainbridge Island Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) Washington state private, nonprofit corporation and a qualified conservation organization under IRS Code Section 170(h). Our tax I.D. number is: 91-1439338. As an accredited member of the national Land Trust Alliance (LTA), the Land Trust has adopted the LTA’s Standards and Practices and meets the highest standards for excellence, upholds the public’s trust, and ensures that its conservation efforts are permanent. The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation work.
