Land Trust initiatives truly a community effort
Published 1:30 am Friday, June 5, 2026
As of 2024, just 1,885 acres of undeveloped and unprotected land remain on Bainbridge Island. Over the past four decades, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust has worked to ensure that conservation keeps pace with development on the island. The Land Trust conserves the natural beauty and biodiversity of Bainbridge Island for future generations — protecting the places that sustain wildlife, clean water, and quality of life. It has been instrumental in safeguarding over 1,600 acres of treasured natural space across the Island, including public spaces such as the Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve, the Grand Forest and Hilltop, the Agate Passage Preserve, the Rockaway Bluff Preserve, the Winslow Heron Rookery, as well as a network of more than 50 conservation easements on private lands.
Beyond land conservation, the Land Trust connects the community with the lands and waters that they work to protect. Since its inception in 2023, the community education program has grown to offer a variety of hands-on educational experiences for all ages, from school field trips and classroom visits to community science, guided walks, and service-learning opportunities. However you choose to get involved with the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, you’ll have the chance to build both a sense of place and the practical skills needed to care for it.
Looking to connect with nature? Discover the science of local ecosystems by embarking on a monthly guided walk at one of the Land Trust’s preserves. On June 21, it will host a guided Summer Solstice Night Walk at the Wildlife Corridor, a unique opportunity to observe nocturnal wildlife and experience the forest in a new way after dark. Or join a guided intertidal exploration at Agate Passage Preserve Aug. 11 to get a rare glimpse of the diversity of marine life, from eelgrass to nudibranchs to moon snails. Registration is limited — learn more at bi-landtrust.org/events
If you’d like to get your hands dirty, volunteer at an upcoming work party to restore habitats on the first Wednesday or third Sunday of every month. You can help remove invasive plants like English ivy, scotch broom, and Himalayan blackberry, plant beneficial native species, maintain trails, and build habitat features. These work parties are a great way to meet like-minded people, explore unique conserved lands, and enhance the natural beauty and biodiversity of Bainbridge Island. The next work parties will be held at Croker T. Preserve June 21 and Gazzam Expansion July 1 — learn more at bi-landtrust.org/work-parties
One growing community science effort is Community Research on Amphibians of Kitsap (CROAK), a collaborative project bringing together local organizations that care deeply about understanding and protecting amphibian populations and wetland ecosystems. From January to June, you can volunteer to wade into ponds and wetlands on Bainbridge Island, documenting quiet signs of amphibian life, from jelly-like egg masses to tiny tadpoles. Amphibians like the red-legged frog and northwestern salamander are sensitive to changes in water quality, habitat loss, and climate change, so monitoring their presence allows the Land Trust to track ecosystem health over time and helps inform future conservation strategies. The 2026 season has just wrapped up, but stay connected to see how you can get involved for next year.
Additionally, the Land Trust continues to expand its science-based work and strengthen stewardship and restoration efforts. The Watershed Initiative is one of the Land Trust’s growing science-based programs. It’s an ambitious commitment aimed at protecting and restoring the health of local watersheds. By implementing nature-based solutions such as removing fish passage barriers and enhancing nearshore habitats, this initiative improves water security, restores biodiversity, and enhances nature’s ability to adapt to a changing climate. As a landowner, you can join the initiative and ensure the stream on your property is healthy by maintaining native vegetation, keeping the water clean, and supporting natural stream flow.
The watershed of Springbrook Creek is a priority area for the initiative. It is one of the most productive fish-bearing streams on the island, with its five miles of critical habitat for native salmon and threatened Puget Sound Steelhead. In 2023, the Land Trust removed a 37-foot-long culvert at the Springbrook Creek Preserve, replacing it with a pedestrian bridge to restore access to vital spawning grounds in the headwaters. Just downstream, the Land Trust secured state funding to remove another culvert at the private Barnabee Farms later this year. This is a model for what watershed restoration makes possible: healthy stream habitat, clean drinking water, and a more resilient future for Bainbridge Island.
Mac Davenport is the communications coordinator for the Bainbridge Island Land Trust.
