My name is Tori and I am serving with AmeriCorps as the Stewardship Event Coordinator at Skagit Land Trust in Mount Vernon, Washington. For my position, I organize and lead work parties to enhance at risk ecosystems and to engage community members in stewardship work while reconnecting them with their local environment. I also perform a variety of stewardship tasks focused on improving Skagit Land Trust properties for wildlife habitat. 

 

One recent project I worked on was a live fascine installation on one of Skagit Land Trust’s conservation easements. A live fascine is a bank stabilization technique that attempts to establish native vegetation while slowing the rate of erosion on a slope. I was in charge of the project design, and ordered the materials needed including the live willow stakes. Working with a WCC crew, we installed close to 2000 live stakes over 500 feet of shoreline along the Sauk River. This project was a huge learning opportunity and I am so grateful to have been allowed to take the lead on this. 

 

Restoring native ecosystems for the benefit of humans and wildlife is a true passion of mine and I am happy to say that I love the service I am doing for AmeriCorps. My AmeriCorps term has provided me with invaluable experience that will help me progress in my career in stewardship work.