The Snohomish Conservation District is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Sound Steward Awards. These outstanding individuals and organizations are leading the way in conservation, demonstrating passion, innovation, and a deep commitment to protecting our natural resources. We celebrate their efforts and hope their stories spark inspiration for positive change in your own corner of the world.

Imagine that with every heavy rain, as runoff pours into the valleys from the uplands and rivers begin to rise, you had to calculate whether you could get home in time to move your animals to safety. Until recently, this was Michelle Canfield’s reality each winter, with her sheep pastured in the Snohomish floodplain.

Snohomish Conservation District’s Youth Education Team has been hard at work delivering Wheat Week educational curriculum to students throughout Snohomish County and Camano Island. This series of five lessons is available free of charge to 4th and 5th grade classes and focuses on the relationships between resource conservation and agriculture in Washington state.

Woods Creek is one of the highest priority watersheds for salmon recovery in Snohomish County, but salmon runs have been declining. High water temperatures, lots of fine sediment, and a lack of large woody debris in the creek are threatening the salmon populations.