A look back - and ahead - from the PLTeam
Ava cocking, community lands steward
Happy New Year, new friends and old! Was 2023 a year of some major changes for you too? For my family and I, 2023 was full of new and exciting opportunities, immense blessings and the thick conversations surrounding big decisions. I welcome a moment of your time to indulge in my 2023 reflections as the newest staff member at Palouse Land Trust.
As you may know, I am a native to the Palouse and coming back has been surprisingly fantastic and full of immense synchronicities and big prayers answered. Imagine returning to your hometown. Does that perhaps bring mixed feelings? It sure did for me. I truly did not know what to expect. But, 2023 was a series of concerted efforts to intentionally stimulate my dusty Palouse roots. I began cultivating rich relationships, refining my ethos, and digging deep for meaning and purpose. All of this diligent intentionality lead to robust and diverse personal and professional yields this year.
Eve and Ava, hard at work.
In October 2022, my husband and I celebrated the birth of our daughter, Evelyn, therefore, 2023 was witnessing the miracle of child development and the ever-present thankfulness for a healthy and truly blissful little girl. As much as new parents can, we felt settled. We lived in a little farmhouse 50 miles northwest of Moscow, one mile from Nathan’s work, and 20 miles from my job at McCroskey State Park.
At the beginning of 2023, coming back from maternity leave to part time work at Idaho State Parks. My manager, Nathan Blackburn offered me the opportunity to bring my baby to the office at the Heyburn Visitor Center (McCroskey closes in the winter). Snuggled up in the cabin on-site, one day a week, Evelyn and I would spend our evenings with close friends Lexi Daire and Mike Tracey. Yet again, we were settled, we felt our roots expanding and tapping in.
Spring came with all the wonderful growth potential of the season, as well as brewing new ideas for our future. Upon many beautiful and empowering conversations with Lovina Englund, I excitedly made the decision to go back to work full time and join an organization I had had my eyes on for nearly a decade.
The summer was coordinating the transformation, including the daunting task of finding fulltime childcare. Fortunately, we found The Garden in Potlatch, a truly remarkable childcare center, a place that I could actually see Evelyn growing and being nurtured, as the name suggests. This piece is huge, for those of you who are parents, finding the right childcare is not merely a game changer, but an essential component to both parents working outside the home. Something I have learned to know well is that when you are on the right path, things unfold in pretty miraculous ways.
Come August the time came to let go of being the McCroskey Park Ranger, as you may understand when making big changes, this was a very bittersweet moment. The Idaho State Parks crew was like family for us. And yet, with an open heart, I welcomed a substantial commute for my calling at Palouse Land Trust. Over the last four months when people ask “How’s the new job?”, “I love my job” does not even begin to cover what this career is for me.
Jaime and Lovina pulling noxious weeds on a walk through the Olson Family Conservation Preserve.
My role as Community Lands Steward is that of connections. Not only do I excitedly work in an ecological sphere, tending to our preserves, but also in vast social spheres of shared landscapes. I get to coordinate efforts with engaged community members, and learn from incredibly talented people. In the last four months I have been blessed with people and places that make my heart muscle strong from rapid expansion. With the recent gift from the incredibly generous Keith and Rhonda Olson, our mighty Land Trust welcomed the new Olson Family Conservation Preserve outside of Deary. This remarkable gift is a fresh canvas at the beginning of my PLT saga. I am not without guidance from the vast institutional land trust knowledge, our incredible partners, and a team of local experts.
Evelyn getting her first tour of the Dave Skinner Ecological Preserve.
Like I said, “I love my job!” comes nowhere close to how I feel about the work I do. In fact, I am struggling to even find the words in this reflection to offer to you as a reader the immensity of what is conjured by the privilege I have to be here. Being a Palouse native and now a mother, our local conservation legacy resonates deeply in my spirit.
Marrying a third generation farmer changed my lens of heritage for cultivation of more than high-yield wheat. This union is nourishing a sense of ownership in the land and coalesces a deep love for our place that I am sharing with my daughter, my family, my community and myself. I have never felt more connected to my homeland than I do now. I am letting my native prairie roots run deep to find the most invigorating nutrients and to strengthen the earth around me for a lifetime of conserving what make this place so remarkable.
Thank you for your time reading my rambling reflection and honoring my space to collect these profound thoughts on what truly remarkable paths I have wandered and intentionally climbed in 2023. And now, right as the end of the year is upon us, I am happy to report that The Cockings has relocated just outside of Moscow, to caretaker an astounding local property and my husband will be starting a new career at the University of Idaho research farm.
Our family thrives on creative visioning, hard work, faith and a supportive network of family and more than friends, our tribe. I am honored to share this reflection with you and hope to meet you in 2024 for some righteous Palouse-area stewardship.
“You must determine where you are going in your life, because you cannot get there unless you move in that direction.”
Lovina Englund, Executive Director
A serene reflection of the trees along a protected stretch of the Palouse River
Having a curious mind, I sometimes like to dive into the etymology of words. The new year is a time where many of us spend time in reflection. Reflection comes from the Latin word reflectere, made up of the prefix re- “back” and flectere, “to bend.” So it literally means we bend back. To be capable of reflection implies that one must also be flexible enough to do so. Flexibility is garnered from practice and I think we have all experienced kinks that result when we aren’t practiced enough to lean into a good bend and stretch.
For certain, 2023 was a year that challenged us to be flexible, not unlike years prior, but in a way that forced the land trust to bend in unfamiliar ways. Our people are the engine that drives the mission of the land trust so I want to take a moment to honor these people I spend so much time with. The land trust operates with a small but mighty team and we experienced some changes in the makeup of our team over this past year that stretched us. Marijka appears on the team in January as our new Conservation Projects Manager and soon after Marcel experiences a terrible car accident that eventually shifts his priorities away from full-time employment. We miss him. Ava comes onto the team in August after we reassessed our needs, moving into the role of Community Lands Steward. Jaime and I trust our bond and bend and flex is ways that ensure these changes to the core makeup of our team keeps focused on our day to day operations that prioritize land conservation. As strong as we may feel at times, mental and physical flexibility sometimes needs a little grit to get into the bend. Along with a dedicated core of volunteers and many willing private landowners and fueled by generous private donations and grant funding, we kept our stride on pace. And I think we executed an Olympic-worthy landing on the mat. I’m so proud of the team we are today—a power lady team no doubt.
No matter if I bend back or look ahead, it’s clear that the need for land protection is more relevant and necessary than any other time in the past. Land protection is climate action and our services are in high demand. One of the most challenging parts of this job is balancing the demand for conservation with our available capacity. We have completed conservation projects we are so proud of—many taking years to develop and fund before coming to fruition—and many more on deck, affirming what we already know about the importance of the land trust mission: protecting the lands we love and connecting people to nature is worthwhile and necessary. Although we have generous donors who are dedicated to our practice, our flexibility is being tested beyond our capability. In other words, or capacity is limited by our ability to source funding to advance private land conservation to keep pace with the demand. And we absolutely have to step up the pace or we lose out as a society.
In the midst of giving season, I find myself utterly blown away by the generosity of our people—all of you who see a way to bolster the mission of the land trust, no matter the size of your gift. And I want to honor how incredible that feeling is and how hopeful I am about all that is in store for the land trust this coming year; the incredible protected lands that will give us gifts long into the future and the community that will come together to support it. Together, we’re going to find creative, meaningful ways to move beyond the kinks and find flow that carries us into a bright future. How might you help us to bend back and stretch our vision ahead?
marijka haverhals, conservation projects manager
Marijka in the field, monitoring, or tick collecting?
Looking back on 2023 and my first year in the land trust world, this past year was filled with so many new fun experiences that it’s starting to become hard to remember all of them! Here is a snapshot of only a small portion of these firsts that have forged many memories and hopefully the beginning of lasting relationships, not only with the incredible people I have had the honor to work with, but also for the privilege of experiencing some of the most special places in our region.
My personal firsts this year in the land trust world: first introductions with our conservation easement heroes (aka the landowners, donors and partners), first feet on conservation easement lands, first conservation easement closing on a first ever private landowner stage 0 wetland restoration in the country, first donated preserve over 500 acres, first agricultural farm RCPP application, first monitoring season, first Land Trust Rally (annual conference), and the list goes on and on and on. I am incredibly thankful to all the mentors that have helped me throughout this first year of work while drinking from the firehose. I hope I can repay the favor in the years to come
Returning intern, Kelsey Vershum, monitoring a conservation easement. Kelsey recently accepted a position after graduating in the land trust world in Montana!
One thing is for sure, no matter how hard I work for our lands and our people, what I get in return from our region’s natural areas far outweighs any of the bumps in the road. Being a part of the land trust is no doubt some of the most meaningful, hard, and arguably most rewarding work: to help protect our ground water, working farms and ranches, and open spaces we all have come to enjoy on the Palouse.
I have learned so much in 2023, and I look forward to continuing to expand my knowledge and will continue to work hard to increase the amount of protected land in our area for all of us to enjoy. No doubt, there is so much to be grateful for as 2023 draws to a close. Thank you to everyone reading this and to everyone I have worked with. Your patience and understanding means a lot. Like a red wine, it will only get better with age. Happy New Year!
jaime jovanovich-Walker, communications & Development coordinator
I just read a blog from the Spokane National Weather Service station comparing temperatures this week versus the incredible cold spell we were experiencing last year at this time. The lows were in the negative tens across the board, and a dry, cold blanket of snow covered the rolling hills and forests.
Today, I walked to work in a sweatshirt, in my regular walking shoes, bathed in the warm sunlight. My, what a difference a year makes!
This time last year, we were welcoming our next Conservation Projects Manager to the team. How were we going to be able to recreate the PLT “dream team” again? Would the glorious conservation momentum we were riding be squelched? How silly those worries look in hindsight.
Winter’s first sunset at Idler’s Rest
Listening to Marijka at staff meeting this week as breaks down the legal terminology and contract details of a complicated access easement, I can’t imagine PLT without her. In not even a year, she has learned and grown so much, accomplished an incredible amount of HARD work (RCPP projects are no joke, friends), and established better, more efficient, and more powerful ways of advancing meaningful conservation on the Palouse. Thank you for all you do, Marijka.
This time last year, I was watching Marcel build beautiful relationships with new segments of the community and creating inclusive, welcoming programming and experiences at our conserved properties. How could we ever guess that just days into the new year, Marcel would be involved in a serious car accident? How could we continue his unique style of community building and outreach without him? The short answer: we couldn’t.
We could never re-create Marcel’s magic. It didn’t stop me from trying my damndest, but in honesty it was a really hard spring and summer. I was disappointed in my capacity and ability to continue all the great things planned, but it also shone a light on just what community engagement – community conservation – really could be here on the Palouse. With a refreshed vision for how PLT could fit into the educational, recreational, and of course, conservation needs of the community, new doors opened.
This time last year, I could have never imagined a fourth team member who in just a few short months, could completely transform the energy, vibe and vigor of PLT. How could we ever find someone with the personality, drive, and natural resources background to pick up the reins of so many exciting community conservation ideas? Who could come in and hit the ground running? Who would have the mental fortitude to rearrange Jaime’s office and the back storage room abyss?
Just thinking about Ava and her presence here makes me smile. She officially joined the PLTeam in August, but it feels like she’s always been here, always lived this mission. I’m so impressed by her can-do attitude and her ability to take the long list of great ideas we’ve made over the years and actually turn them into reality. Oh what 2024 has in store with this Power Lady Team on the job!
Celebrating land and water and sunshine at the Olson Conservation Preserve.
This time last year, I was worrying about meeting fundraising targets, second-guessing each and every communication sent out, and hoping that the difficult impacts of inflation, political and social turmoil wouldn’t overshadow the great importance of this work. How could we better communicate the value and efficacy of local land conservation? How could I show more gratitude for the individuals and businesses who so generously make it all possible? Well, by doing just that.
Thank you for entrusting me with the awesome task of championing the lands that define us, of caring for the people (YOU!) that make all of the work happen, and for letting me find and wield my voice in a way that gives me bother personal and professional joy. To Janice and Libby, thank you for imparting your wisdom, knowledge, spunk, and verve on me over the past 8 years. Your departure from the full board was one of the hardest moments of my professional career – your return as advisory members, one of the best! To the PLT Board of Directors, I cannot express how grateful I am for your unending support, confidence, and leadership. To Lovina, It’s an honor to be the other half of your brain. Thank you for your strong leadership and for giving me wings to develop and grow as a professional.
Moscow Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors on a tour at Idler’s Rest.
To the trail and work party volunteers, the financial supporters, the amazing landowners, and the colleagues near and far, thank you for giving my purpose. Thank you for making it an honor and privilege to get up every day and do this work. Thank you for loving the lands, waters, and wildlife of our region so very much.
Yes, what a difference a year makes. 2023 was hard, no sugar coating that baby. I am thrilled for the possibilities of the year ahead, of the new opportunities for connecting our community to the lands that mean so much. I am excited to see the completion of several awesome projects, and to continue to celebrate all of the projects and conservation impact you’ve made possible over the last almost 29 years. And I’m so very humbled to be in your company, and that of the PLTeam and Board as we move forward. WELCOME 2024!