Photo Credit Tom Twigg Photography and Video
Since 1999, the Stillwaters Environmental Center has been dedicated to informing and empowering the Kingston community to make ecologically responsible decisions for the health of Puget Sound. In 2023, the founders of the organization decided to step down and pass the management and care of Stillwaters and the surrounding natural areas of the Carpenter Creek Watershed to the local land trust, Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC). In doing so, they will protect the land and its legacy for generations to come (learn more here). To celebrate this transition, GPC is staging a series of events (on July 19th and 20th) and inviting the Kingston community to come on down and join them!
On Friday, July 19th, there will be a picnic at the Village Green Community Center (26159 Dulay Rd NE), from 5-8pm. Food, beverages, and music will be on hand to get things started. Presentations will be given by Stillwaters founders, Naomi Maasberg and Joleen Palmer; the executive director of GPC, Nathan Daniel; and State Representative Greg Nance. Booths will be found honoring the history of volunteer land stewardship in Kingston and sharing opportunities for those wanting to continue the traditions and conservation successes that Stillwaters is known for.
The celebration begins bright and early on Saturday, July 20th, for a BioBlitz! Individuals interested in participating in a community science effort to census the living organisms found in and around Stillwaters and Arness Roadside Park are encouraged to show up at the Village Green Pavilion between 8-11am. Later, a “Legacy and Future” presentation will be given at the Village Green Community Center, followed by a lunch in the picnic pavilion. GPC will detail the past, present, and future of conservation within the Carpenter Creek Watershed. All are welcome! Families are invited to travel down to the Arness Roadside Park at 2pm to get a window into the many educational offerings that Great Peninsula Conservancy offers to students and community groups. They will conduct shoreline investigations of invasive crabs, resident orcas, and Olympia oysters! NOAA scientists will be on hand to walk families through their own research that takes place in and around Puget Sound. Finally, at 5pm, GPC staff and participants will embark from Mike Wallace Park (25864 Washington Blvd NE) on a kayak tour of the southern lobe of the neighboring estuary of Carpenter Creek and Apple Tree Cove. Along the way, kayakers can learn more about Great Peninsula Conservancy’s conservation efforts in North Kitsap and across West Puget Sound.
All events will be free and open to the public, though some will require registration. To learn more about what you can do during the weekend’s celebration, or to find out how you can donate to save more of the places that you love, head to GPC’s website at greatpeninsula.org or give them a call at (360) 373-3500.
Learn more at GPC’s event page below!