Best Practices are a key component to a successful stewardship program.  CLC relies on Best Practices to guide the care or our lands in accordance with the conservation values of the property.  All proposed activities are evaluated in terms of their contribution to the ecological value of the property and to the community.

Ecological Stewardship:

All CLC sites are maintained to the current Land Trust Alliance Standards to:

• maximize ecological function of a site to contribute to the region’s biodiversity and sustainability
• provide the model for land stewardship of wild and open space lands in our region
• to achieve stewardship objectives through active management
• Engage local communities in stewardship activities
• Encourage appropriate public use of CLC properties when such use is consistent with ecological considerations

Invasive Species Management

Second to habitat loss, the spread of invasive species is the leading cause of loss of biodiversity in the world.  The Stewardship Program works to, at minimum, control the spread of invasive species, but most often seeks to eradicate all woody invasive species on CLC sites. 

Good websites with further information on invasive species include:

Ivy Out

King County Noxious Weed Control Program     

Kittitas County Noxious Weed Control Board

Pierce County Noxious Weed Control Board

Snohomish County Noxious Weed Control Board

Trail Construction and Maintenance

CLC uses the U.S. Forest Service Standards as a baseline for trail design. 
      

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Trails Program also has an excellent set of construction drawings available online.