When a local Washington conservation district, Cascadia, evaluated the launch plan for a wildfire preparedness program in partnership with a federal agency, they discovered the program wasn’t reaching the intended audience. By working as a team and engaging the community, they realized that their outreach efforts were missing key groups. Revisiting the program, they incorporated underserved communities early on, asking what they needed (in their preferred language) and informing them about the district’s upcoming offerings. By building relationships first, the program grew significantly, becoming more impactful.
The San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) is honored to collaborate with the Northwest Indian College in the formation and development of the Coast Salish Guardians Program on the Lummi Reservation.
Cascadia Conservation District Supported residents at the Housing Authority of Chelan County and the City of Wenatchee with bilingual gardening and nutrition education courses. They also identified and linked communities in need of mobile food bank delivery and overcoming language and/or transportation barriers.
Skagit Conservation District's no-till drill has become a crowd favorite due to its minimal soil disturbance, which helps mitigate soil erosion and compaction while enhancing soil organic matter and structure.
