Have you ever pondered why your parents might have hustled you out the door with “Go play outside!”?

If you’re living on the island, I trust that part of that directive was influenced by our vibrantly green forests, meadows, ponds and creeks.

Can we preserve these wonders for future generations?

When my husband and I moved here in 1993 to teach science and raise our family, we were drawn to a community that values the land, the forests and the waterways. I walked many island trails with my toddlers, and soon learned that the Bainbridge Island Land Trust had been hard at work to conserve natural areas in perpetuity.

As our population has grown and available green space has diminished, many people recognize that we must act now to preserve contiguous land parcels for wildlife and a healthy future. There are fewer large parcels of land, and as these go away, so does the vibrancy of our biodiversity, and our community, environmental and family health.

The land trust’s Stand for the Land campaign has focused on three properties so far: the Jablonko, Miller-Kirkman and Cougar Creek Preserves — all large parcels providing varying wildlife habitat.

In particular, Cougar Creek hosts healthy wetlands which offer nurseries for many critters, including our friendly amphibians, a host of insect species and other wildlife. Like humans, they depend on healthy habitat for their housing and offspring. Wetlands in this Eagle Harbor watershed function as critical bio-filters, remarkably able to remove many toxins from the water by filtering runoff from nearby homes, gardens, and roads. This provides habitat for bats and those vociferous chorus frogs that work hard to keep the mosquito population in check, consuming thousands of insects each day and night.

These wondrous wetlands are exciting places to be this time of year. You can hover near the water’s edge and examine the little ponds — a good place to spot frogs or salamanders. Turn over leaves and explore the backsides —these host colorful insect eggs! Take a youngster along if you can, and explore. Children often see more than adults do, and have plenty of insights!

Try this: Stop and listen. Be quiet and count how many birdsongs you hear. Right now our native birds are frantically feeding nestlings or newly fledged young. You might see migratory birds such as the elusive Swainson’s thrush or our bright yellow state bird, the American Goldfinch and their young. These treasures add their beautiful voices to the orchestra. The woodpeckers we can hear on almost any bright day are pileated, hairy, downy, and often sapsuckers and flickers. Their presence is a great indicator of good health in our ecosystem, and all need healthy forests and undisturbed wetland areas to thrive.

I have much gratitude for the hard work done by the Bainbridge Island Land Trust and supported by our island community. Without this attention to the land and our natural areas, our lives here wouldn’t be as rich, and our children’s outdoor opportunities wouldn’t be as varied. I am glad to Stand for the Land!

Karen Salsbury is an educator who is equally content sharing wonders with preschoolers or natural history with graduate students and elders.