March 2026 Newsletter

The Power of Participating

For the month of March, Steep Rock is proud to recognize and laud the invaluable contributions of all our volunteers, community organizations, business and farm partners, schools, government agencies, and sponsors. We are incredibly grateful for your knowledge, expertise, hands-on labor, and generosity. Your efforts are essential in carrying out all aspects of our mission, from conserving the lands and waters you love to protecting wildlife, ensuring safe and enjoyable recreational experiences, providing healthy food for residents in need, and offering your time, resources, and leadership to our organizational success. Our accomplishments are a direct result of your active participation in our incredible community.

In 2025 we set a record for number of volunteers (356) and hours logged (4,838)–that’s over 600 8-hour days! And three volunteers contributed over 200 hours each in service to Steep Rock. We are truly humbled by your commitment to our mission and conservation.

To recognize and celebrate our community of volunteers, we invite everyone to our Spring Volunteer Celebration and Firepit on Friday, March 20. For those of you interested in volunteering, we will host an information session in our office prior to the celebration (details below). We look forward to seeing you there.

See you on the trails,
Brian Hagenbuch, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Women’s History Month Match: Save a Hidden Local Story

This Women’s History Month, you have an opportunity to help preserve a powerful and lesser-known Washington story. Deep in Steep Rock Preserve, a stone foundation rises from the forest floor. It’s the last trace of Holiday House, a summer refuge built in 1893 for young working women from New York City whose lives were defined by factory hours, crowded tenements, and constant exhaustion. Here, they were given something rare at the time: permission to rest and play. Today, both the site and its history are at risk of being lost to unmanaged forest growth and invasives. A generous family has offered $10,000 in matching funds to help bring the Holiday House Ruins Garden to life. >give today to double your impact

Volunteer with Steep Rock Association

Join Steep Rock Association for our Volunteer Opportunity Event on March 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM and discover meaningful ways to get involved in caring for our land and community. Learn about hands-on opportunities such as improving our trails, growing organic vegetables in Judea Garden, providing field data for our community science initiatives, being a Camp House host, offering administrative and event support, and more. Whether you enjoy working outdoors, contributing behind the scenes, or collecting data to support conservation, we have a role for you. No experience necessary just a passion for our mission and willingness to learn and have fun. Come meet our team, connect with fellow volunteers, and find the perfect way to make an impact this spring. >volunteer info