Conserving the landscapes that sustain and replenish the communities of the North Olympic Peninsula is collaborative. Although North Olympic Land Trust is a tool to help achieve and foster this goal, it’s people and community members like Sarah Miller that have led to the conservation of more than 3,000 acres in Clallam County.
Sarah loves where she lives, and her connection to this place is reflected by her commitment to the Land Trust. Not only does Sarah generously donate her time toward a variety of projects as a volunteer, she’s also a “Sustaining Member.” Monthly installments from sustaining members like Sarah impact the pace and scale of the Land Trust’s work to conserve farms, fish and forest of the Olympic Peninsula.
Sarah Miller. Photo by John Gussman
“This place is important to me because it is restorative – it feels a bit like an island, somewhat protected from the hustle and bustle of the larger world,” she said. “The sense of community is palpable and human-sized … It feels like one person can contribute in such a way as to make a difference.”
Sarah describes her love for where she lives as being rooted in a “sense of respect and appreciation for nature and for what came before.” To have a personal role in ensuring that sense of respect and appreciation remains, she is active with North Olympic Land Trust. Also, by working with an organization, Sarah said, she’s able to “leverage” her time and dollars in a way that can benefit her daily life in a big way.
“I’m struck every time I move through my neighborhood and the larger landscape by the impact that North Olympic Land Trust has had and continues to have on the places that I hold dear,” she said. “There is little that a person can do that makes a greater difference to future generations than protecting and preserving the land.”