Thursday, May 16th is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day to get everyone thinking, talking, and learning about digital inclusion. This is an important day in the Recite Me calendar and we are spending the entire week shining a spotlight on digital accessibility and inclusion. We caught up with Mark Young, Project Manager at Kittitas Conservation Trust to discuss the importance of prioritizing inclusion and accessibility in conservation work.
What is Kittitas Conservation Trust’s mission and what projects/programs do you currently have in place?
The Mission of Kittitas Conservation Trust (KCT) is: To protect and enhance critical fish and wildlife habitat in the upper Yakima River Basin. KCT is actively engaged in ESA-listed Bull Trout recovery efforts in the Yakima Basin, and we are sponsoring several large restoration projects in various phases from design and permitting to full-scale implementation.
KCT seeks to acquire land for conservation and future restoration, and works to facilitate the transfer of private land into public ownership. KCT engages with other nonprofits, agencies, and the community to advocate for and support Bull Trout recovery, as well as the enhancement and protection of all critical habitat in Kittitas County.
Why do you think it is important to make information and resources accessible to everyone?
It is essential to make all (nature) information and resources accessible to everyone because we all share this planet and its resources and thus all share the same inherent rights to access information. We must work collectively to understand the issues we face, because without barrier-free access to the tools and information needed to understand these issues, the challenges they present grow and their solutions remain out of reach.
What initially led you to seek out assistive tools for your website and why did you choose Recite Me?
An acknowledgement of the critical need to reach as wide an audience as possible lead us to seek out assistive tools for our website. We chose Recite Me because of its reputation, customer service, and ease of integration into our website.
What does the future look like for Kittitas Conservation Trust?
The future of KCT is to stay on our current trajectory of enhancing and preserving critical habitat in our county through Bull Trout recovery efforts, perpetual land conservation, and habitat restoration and enhancement projects.
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