Community Engagement
At Blue Mountain Land Trust, we go beyond just conserving land. Our focus is on building connections to place, strengthening relationships, and providing experiences in the outdoors. We aim to inspire a deeper sense of well-being and a greater understanding of the natural world that surrounds us all.
Connecting to a specific area – a cherished trail, a peaceful meadow, or a tree-filled park – gives us a sense of belonging and a moment to be at ease. The more we know about the nature surrounding us, whether in forests or cities, the more we’ll want to protect it.
Our commitment at BMLT is straightforward: we’re here to share positive environmental learning opportunities and outdoor experiences for all. Our programs are designed to help find community, common ground, and purpose with the land and like-minded folks. Together, let’s create a community committed to climate action.
Photo by Outside Walla Walla
Youth Education: Learning should be fun
In the world of education, classrooms are where knowledge is shared. Yet, within those walls lies more than just desks and chalkboards, it’s where our future takes root. Blue Mountain Land Trust’s environmental education programs break free from a traditional classroom setting, calling on the curious, fostering creativity, and sparking knowledge in the outdoors.
Celebrating Biodiversity
BioBlitz 2023 marked the beginning of the summer season, offering families a day outdoors at Rooks Park in Walla Walla, WA, to explore and learn about the thriving biodiversity of the Blue Mountain region. Presented by Blue Mountain Land Trust and the Umatilla National Forest, the event brought the community together for nature-based activities on ecosystems, water, wildlife, and local species.
BioBlitz was made possible with support from Blue Mountain Audubon Society, Sustainable Living Center, Tri-State Steelheaders, WWCC Water & Environmental Center, Whitman College, Walla Walla County Conservation District, The Bug Guru, and Army Corp of Engineers.
Conservation Tours
In 2023, we organized public tours of protected properties — Secret Valley Ranch, Unity, OR; Phipps Meadow, Prairie City, OR; and Touchet Orchards, Dayton, WA. BMLT supporters learned about how regional conservation, holistic land management, and our partnership with Tribes and natural resource agencies will not only protect land but restore and improve it. Highlights included observing sage grouse nesting areas, beaver dams, salmon spawning streams, and natural springs.
Thank you to the Land Trust Alliance ACE grant for supporting community connection with nature and conservation.
Restoring the shoreline in honor of Indigenous Stewardship
Together with Confluence, Washington State Parks, and James Holt & family (Nez Perce), Blue Mountain Land Trust volunteers spent the day clearing brush and reestablishing native plants at the Confluence Story Circles located at Sacajawea State Park.
The restoration of the shoreline adjacent to the Confluence Story Circles represents a profound and contemplative expression of gratitude and reverence for the Indigenous communities who have nurtured this sacred land since time immemorial. Volunteers spent the day enhancing the natural beauty surrounding the Story Circles — a site that holds deep cultural significance where the Columbia and Snake Rivers meet.
Throughout the day, James Holt, Executive Director of Buffalo Field Campaign and a revered member of the Nez Perce Tribe, shared stories rooted in this region’s history, the cultural connections of the Nez Perce Tribe, and the various ways in which the Tribe advocates for the preservation of these waterways.
Thank you to James Holt for sharing Nimiipuu stories about the seasons, the importance of reestablishing place-based knowledge, and how it takes good hearts to do meaningful work. We are grateful for all volunteer contributions in this meaningful opportunity to give back to the community and develop a deeper connection with the landscape.