Doug McCutchen

Preserve Steward – San Juan County Land Bank

Doug believes the long-term success of conservation relies on connecting people with place. He has worked and volunteered for stewardship and conservation programs in the San Juan Islands for more than 25 years. Twenty of those have been as a steward for the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank, a community-driven land conservation program of the San Juan County government. Always seeking diverse opportunities, Doug has also worked as a park manager, carpenter, and museum curator in the islands, in addition to volunteering for various environmental and community-based organizations.

With the Land Bank, he works to restore and protect special places in the islands, facilitating stewardship of agricultural lands and designing public access to unique natural areas. He uses trails as a vehicle to tell stories and connect people with their landscapes. To this end, Doug helped establish the San Juan Islands Youth Conservation Corps – a youth program focused on skill development and cultivating stewardship ethic. Doug was also a founding member of Island Climate Resilience, a grassroots community climate group working to encourage adaptation and resilience.

Doug’s interest in natural history and insatiable curiosity cultivated a passion for historical ecology and ethnoecology. These inquiries have led to a deep appreciation for Coast Salish peoples and their place-based reciprocal relationship with the lands and waters of the Salish Sea. He currently co-chairs a Co-Stewardship subcommittee associated with Stewardship Network of the San Juans Tribal Engagement effort. Doug recently begun working in a special advisory role with the Island Conservation Corps program of San Juan Islands Conservation District, which is affiliated with Western Washington University.

Doug joined the NW Straits Foundation with the aim of representing the conservation interests of San Juan Islands in the Foundation’s excellent work in protecting and restoring the Salish Sea. He is excited to support the Foundation’s collaborative approach to working with local governments, the NW Straits Commission, nonprofits, and local/state governments. He lives on San Juan Island in a driftwood cabin with his partner, Kari Koski and brown hound, George.