What do Extension Watershed Stewards do?
As Extension Watershed Stewards we can volunteer directly with WSU Extension, with WSU program partners, or we can create our own stewardship projects. We do everything from habitat restoration to newsletter editing.
Volunteers chat with the public at an alpaca farm at the Harvest Celebration Farm Tour.
WSU Extension Opportunities
Some of us choose to get involved by volunteering directly with WSU King County Extension office projects. Harvest Celebration Farm Tour and Small Farm Expo are two large events that always need volunteers with leadership skills. Duties range from facilitating a speaker series on protecting water resources with proper manure management to staffing an educational booth on a Salmon-Safe farm. Creative and administrative opportunities are also available including writing newsletter articles, composing a piece for Spotlight On Stewardship, preparing materials for training, and data entry. Additionally, there are several ways to get involved with the Land Water Steward Association of which all trained Stewards are automatically members.
Restoration project on the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River at the foot of Mt. Si. Photo by Extension Watershed Steward Nick Samargis.
Opportunities with Partnering Organizations
Some of us prefer to work directly with program partners including:
 Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
Potential volunteer projects for trained Extension Watershed Stewards with FCRW include 1) getting your hands dirty restoring habitat, 2) editing the newsletter, 3) creating a stock PowerPoint presentation, 4) creating a photo archive, 5) updating and revising web pages, and 6) serving on the Board of Directors or on a committee.
 King County Department of Natural Resources Parks & Trails Ambassador Program
Trained Extension Watershed Stewards make excellent Parks & Trails Ambassadors! Become an important representative of our parks, trails, and open spaces by learning and sharing the history of park sites, monitor natural ecosystems, and/or provide information to park visitors. This program assists visitors to be more appreciative of the natural environment and can be tailored to your specific interests.
 Cascade Land Conservancy – Land Stewards Program
Stewards interested in restoration and specific site stewardship make great CLC Land Stewards. Volunteer stewards regularly monitor properties and help with on-the-ground restoration. They are the eyes and ears in the field for CLC, and ambassadors to neighboring communities.
Earth Day 2005 record-setting effort led by the Nature Consortium to plant 1500 trees in 1 hour! Photo by Nancy Whitlock, Extension Watershed Steward and Nature Consortium Executive Director.
Examples of Self-Initiated Projects
Still other stewards prefer to create their own projects. Some examples of self-initiated stewardship projects include:
- Starting a “Friends of” group in a neighborhood watershed and organizing stream clean-up and weed removal work parties,
- Creating a backyard wildlife presentation and delivering it to local garden clubs and community groups, and
- Soliciting partners and grant funds for a habitat restoration project along a local stream, and organizing work parties to remove invasives and plant appropriate vegetation.
|
