Marcia Schwendiman
Our friend and colleague Marcia Schwendiman recently stepped down from the Jefferson Land Trust Board of Directors after six years of dedicated volunteer service.
“My time with the Land Trust has been my favorite volunteer gig ever,” Marcia says. “The staff, my fellow Board members, and the innumerable volunteers who work on Land Trust projects — I’m inspired by their generosity. In my opinion, there’s no organization more worthy of my time and my financial support.”
A master gardener and avid naturalist, Marcia moved from Seattle to the Port Ludlow area with her partner in 2003, and was first introduced to Jefferson Land Trust when a neighbor invited her to our annual Conservation Breakfast. “I was hooked,” she recalls. “Learning what the Land Trust was all about, what had been accomplished, and their plans for the future — that’s when I became a supporter.”
Marcia’s used her many talents to contribute to the Land Trust in numerous ways. She was Treasurer for four of her six years on the Board and also sat on numerous committees, including the Finance and Governance committees. She was an early participant in our Tidelands to Timberline natural history course, and currently sits on the guiding committee of the JLT Natural History Society (which first formed as an offshoot of the Tidelands To Timberline course). A regular attendee at our work parties, Marcia has also long been a volunteer Preserve Steward at the Lower Donovan Creek Preserve — a labor of love she intends to continue “as long as I’m physically able.”
Staff and Preserve Stewards at Lower Donovan Creek Preserve. Photo by Claire Moe.
“She’s very diligent, very thoughtful, and very committed to the Land Trust’s work,” says Richard Tucker, the Land Trust’s Executive Director. “Whenever Marcia spoke, people listened, because what she had to say was always well thought out and articulate. We already miss her participation and the skills that she brought.”
“This is the most community-oriented volunteer organization I know,” Marcia says. “It’s incredible how loyal people are to the Land Trust mission over time. I think it speaks a lot about the staff and what they do, and how much people who live out on the Peninsula really appreciate what we have.”
When she pays her taxes every year, Marcia says, her favorite tax is the one she taxes herself: to help finance the work of the Land Trust. “Here, I get to choose where my money’s going, and it feels really good,” she explains. “I’ve never supported any organization financially more than this one, because I believe the investment will have long-term and wide-ranging impacts on the people who live and visit here.”
“Marcia can take pride in the accomplishments she helped bring about, because she was instrumental in so many of them,” Richard says. “She’s given so much to the Land Trust, and we’re deeply grateful.”
With her extra free time, Marcia looks forward to continuing to explore the Peninsula, spending time with her five children and 13 grandchildren, and tending to her beloved three acres of gardens.
On behalf of everyone here at the Land Trust, thank you, Marcia, for all you’ve done and continue to do for local land conservation and our community!
