Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
Name	Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	1991
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington
Area served	Washington Cascade Range, Snoqualmie Pass, Lake Washington corridor
Focus	Conservation, recreation, land trust, trail stewardship

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is a regional land conservation and trail stewardship nonprofit based in Seattle that advocates for protection of the Pacific Crest Corridor between the Cascade Range and the Puget Sound shoreline. Working across urban, suburban, and backcountry landscapes along Interstate 90, the organization blends land acquisition, habitat restoration, trail maintenance, and public education to link places such as Snoqualmie Pass, Tiger Mountain, Rattlesnake Ledge, and the Issaquah Alps. Its activities intersect with federal and state initiatives involving the National Scenic Area designation, municipal park systems, and regional planning agencies.

History

Founded in 1991, the Trust emerged amid a series of regional conservation efforts following the passage of the Wilderness Act anniversaries and growing public interest in preserving Washington state landscapes. Early campaigns focused on securing protections for corridors visible from Interstate 90 and preventing fragmentation near Lake Sammamish and Mount Si. The organization participated in advocacy that contributed to recognition of the Mountains to Sound route as a cultural and ecological landscape, coordinating with entities such as the National Park Service, Washington State Department of Transportation, and county parks departments. Over subsequent decades the Trust expanded from grassroots advocacy to active land stewardship, acquiring parcels, negotiating conservation easements, and developing programs modeled on work by groups like the Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy.

Mission and Programs

The Trust’s mission centers on conserving the lands, waters, and trails linking the Cascades to the Sound while promoting equitable access to nature. Programmatic work includes land protection, trail stewardship, habitat restoration, and outdoor recreation planning in cooperation with partners such as King County, Snohomish County, City of Seattle, and tribes including the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. Signature programs coordinate stewardship on iconic sites like Mount Rainier National Park gateway corridors, voluntary conservation on private holdings near Bellevue, and urban greenway initiatives adjacent to Lake Union and the Duwamish River basin. The Trust also operates volunteer programs and seasonal trail crews that mirror practices used by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

Conservation and Land Management

Land conservation tools used include fee-simple acquisition, conservation easements, and land transfers to municipal or federal agencies. Management priorities emphasize riparian restoration in watersheds feeding into Lake Washington and protection of old-growth and second-growth forests characteristic of the western Cascade foothills. The Trust has been involved in mitigating impacts from infrastructure projects undertaken by the Washington State Department of Transportation and in providing input to environmental review processes governed by the National Environmental Policy Act. Habitat management targets species and communities associated with the region: salmon runs in tributaries feeding Green River, migratory birds using the Duwamish corridor, and upland mammals in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness interface. Fire resilience planning references practices used in U.S. Forest Service stewardship and collaborates with regional wildfire preparedness initiatives.

Community Engagement and Education

Community-facing work includes volunteer trail maintenance days, school field trip curricula, and public events highlighting local natural and cultural history. Educational partnerships extend to institutions such as the University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University, and community colleges within King County for research and internship opportunities. The Trust runs outreach programs designed to increase access for historically underserved communities, coordinating transportation and bilingual programming with organizations like the YWCA, El Centro de la Raza, and tribal education offices. Public interpretation at trailheads references historical associations with the Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie peoples, early European-American logging around North Bend, and landmark conservation campaigns recognized by statewide awards.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding streams combine private philanthropy, foundation grants, government grants, program service revenue, and donations. Major philanthropic partners have included family foundations in the Pacific Northwest and national funders that support landscape-scale conservation such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and regionally focused trusts. Government grants have been secured through programs administered by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, the National Park Service, and federal sources tied to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Strategic partnerships include land transfers and co-stewardship agreements with entities such as the Washington Trails Association, municipal parks departments in Bellevue and Seattle, and national organizations like the Trust for Public Land.

Governance and Organizational Structure

The Trust is governed by a volunteer board of directors drawn from conservation, business, legal, and civic sectors, and operates under a professional staff including an executive director, land protection staff, stewardship crews, development officers, and education coordinators. Governance practices align with standards promoted by the Land Trust Alliance and reporting expectations set by nonprofit oversight entities in Washington state. Advisory committees and technical working groups provide subject-matter expertise in ecology, trails engineering, legal easements, and community engagement, collaborating with regional agencies such as the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Forum and academic partners for monitoring and adaptive management.

Category:Conservation organizations based in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington (state)