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Mission
The Nature Conservancy is a private, non-profit organization
committed to preserving the plants, animals and ecosystems
that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting
the lands and waters they need to survive.
Primary Programs/Projects
The Nature Conservancy co-established the Skagit River
Bald Eagle Natural Area (SRBENA) in 1976 to protect
habitat for wintering bald eagles and the salmon upon
which they depend. To date, over 8000 acres have been
protected by the Conservancy and eight cooperating local,
state and federal agencies and organizations. With SRBENA
as its core, the focus of the Conservancy's Skagit River
program is currently on the protection of all native
biodiversity within the watershed. In addition to its
traditional focus on the identification and acquisition
of critical habitat, the Conservancy has long been engaged
in scientific research and environmental education in
the Skagit River watershed. More recently it has also
initiated efforts to restore degraded habitat and control
invasive weeds that threaten to disrupt the natural
species composition of our riparian forests. The Conservancy
owns and manages 1000 acres in the basin.
Reason for Participating on the Skagit Watershed Council
The Conservancy's goal is to protect the biodiversity
of the Skagit watershed. Because of their direct relationship
to the health of the watershed as a whole, salmon are
one of our principal conservation targets. The Skagit
Watershed Council offers an excellent opportunity for
organizations and agencies to work cooperatively to
develop a better understanding of the watershed and
to develop and implement a strategy to protect salmon
and the aquatic community by protecting or restoring
natural habitat and watershed processes. We hope that
the Council's efforts help direct our conservation efforts
more efficiently, and that our work contributes to the
overall goals of the Council.
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