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For every tree is linked to a native habitat that nourishes and protects it. And
every habitat is part of a larger ecosystem that feeds and stabilizes itself. And
where one ecosystem ends, another begins, forming a web of biological life with which
humans are inextricably linked.
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"Every bite of food you eat comes from living things," wrote the naturalist Elliot
Norse. "Every sip of water you drink has been cleansed by living things. The oxygen
in your every breath comes from living things."
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©The Nature Conservancy | The Conservancy has helped protect many rare plants in Washington, including the golden Indian paintbrush, a state-endangered species.
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From its inception in 1960, The Nature Conservancy of Washington has focused its
resources on protecting native species and habitats. Its goal: to protect the state's
biological diversityor biodiversityby acquiring the best examples of its natural
ecosystems.
The small-flowered trillium and the American white pelican. The persistent-sepal
yellowcress and the Columbian white-tailed deer. These are just a few of the native
Washington species protected by the Conservancy across more than 43,000 acres, including
29 preserves that we own and managepart of the nearly
9.5 million acres that the Conservancy has protected nationwide since its founding.
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Controlled burning is an important management tool for keeping grasslands and other native plant communities in their natural states. |  ©The Nature Conservancy  
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Why protect species and ecosystems? Just look in your cupboard; more than 90 percent of
all important crops come from just 20 species. Or check your medicine cabinet; half of
all pharmaceuticals have an active ingredient found in naturally occurring molecules.
Then consider that the Earth loses three or more species each day to extinction. Their
protection is, at the very least, enlightened self-interest.
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©Art Wolfe | The tufted puffinwith its distinctive white face, prominent orange-red bill and wispy crown of feathersnests in isolated parts of Washington's coastal waters.  
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The Nature Conservancy of Washington uses a non-confrontational, market-based approach
to preserving the state's critical habitats, working closely with government agencies,
corporations and land owners. Its conservation strategy is three-fold: identification,
acquisition and management.
Through extensive field work and the comprehensive review of scientific data, the
Conservancy identifies the most imperiled native plants, animals and habitats. It
then contacts landowners to determine whether they would sell or donate property to
preserve these species and ecosystems; the Conservancy only works with willing sellers.
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Through extensive field work and the comprehensive review of scientific data, the Conservancy identifies the most imperiled native plants,
animals and habitats in the state. |  Gordon Todd/© The Nature Conservancy  
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Upon acquiring a preserve, the Conservancy institutes either active managementsuch
as the removal of invasive, non-native plantsor careful, passive monitoring. Volunteers
are the backbone of this effort, performing everything from weed eradication to general
surveillance. And many preserves across the state are open for hiking, nature study, bird
watching and photography.
Beyond its own preserve system, the Conservancy helps public agencies and other
organizations preserve Washington's environmental legacy. It also participates in
cooperative species-identification programs on public lands.
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©Ruth Johns/The Nature Conservancy | These fescue seedlings helped repopulate the native grasslands of the Conservancy's Yellow Island preserve.  
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With the help of volunteers and staff members, concerned companies and charitable
foundations, the Conservancy is helping to ensure the survival of Washington's
natural heritage. When you become a member, we can do even more.
That choice is in your hands.
Leaf illustration by Pauline Speers.
© Copyright 1996, The Nature Conservancy.
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