| | | | Hello Friend, The rains are here, and with them come bountiful fungi, spawning salmon, and changing foliage. Isn't fall in the Pacific Northwest magical? I especially love walking in our woodland forests to see how the seasonal changes draw out vibrant colors from the many ferns, mosses, and conifers. It's my favorite way to unwind. If you need a moment of relaxation, head to our YouTube channel for 5 min flight over our new Tahuya River Preserve. See if you can spot the salmon in the river! This month we are celebrating an exciting new acquisition in Seabeck, a jam-packed calendar of events, and the support from our dedicated community. Read on to learn more. Yours in wonderment and joy, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | All of us want Washington to remain a beautiful, healthy place to live, work, and do business. That’s why we should all vote NO on Initiative 2117. I-2117 would cut vital public programs that protect and restore endangered fish habitat across Washington state. More than 400 small businesses, Tribal Nations, medical organizations, and environmental organizations agree! If you haven't already, please join us in voting NO this November. | | | | | | | | | | In October, GPC acquired a 13-acre shoreline property along the Hood Canal in Seabeck, WA, with the long-term goal of restoring a historic pocket estuary and salt marsh habitat for resident and migratory species. The property includes 530’ of shoreline, freshwater springs, and 400’ of a local creek as it empties into the nearshore, creating a transition area, with fresh and salt water mixing, where land and sea meet. Read our blog to learn more about this exciting new acquisition. | | | | | | | | | | In September, the GPC stewardship team visited the 1.7-acre Stillwaters Environmental Center in Kingston to collect field information for a baseline documentation report. During the visit, they stumbled upon a scattered pile of barred feathers and bone fragments. Upon closer inspection, they recognized bones that were part of the lower foot (the tarsometatarsus, in bird terms) and were adorned with two human-made bands. These bands noted that the animal had been intentionally captured and marked during a bird banding exercise. Read on to learn all about this particular animal and how it's presence is guiding our conservation work. | | | | | | | | Salmon Tours Join us Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 11:00am-3:00pm at the Clear Creek Trail Ridgetop Pavilion as we explore all things salmon with biologists, local environmental organizations, and trained docents. This FREE event offers exciting opportunities such as interactive activities, guided walks, and much more. You can discover local salmon species, their lifecycles, and the role you play in their survival. Bring your family, gather your friends, and prepare your questions. When: Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 11:00am-3:00pm Where: Bremerton, WA | | | | | | | | Land Labs Volunteer Educator Training Want to get outside and share your love of nature with local youth? GPC’s Land Labs program is calling all volunteers interested in helping with its spring field trip series. No experience necessary! We’ll teach you everything you need to know at our next Land Labs Volunteer Educator Training on Monday, November 4th from 1-4pm. The training will focus on how best to support 5th - 8th grade students as they engage in real-world science out on GPC preserves. Our upcoming lessons (November 11th-27th) will focus on how each of us can play a role in stewarding biodiverse and climate resilient forests! When: Monday, November 4th, from 1:00pm-4:00pm Where: Poulsbo, WA | | | | | | | | Forest Conservation Practices at Grovers Creek Preserve Join Great Peninsula Conservancy’s Stewardship Manager Adrian Wolf and Northwest Natural Resource Group’s (NNRG) Lead Forester Jaal Mann on Nov. 14, 2024, for a free workshop on Forest Conservation Practices at Grover’s Creek Preserve in Kitsap County. Wolf and Mann will discuss the successes and challenges of planning and implementing ecological forestry practices and how these practices can improve habitat conditions and forest resilience by increasing species and structural diversity. They will also discuss an effort to capture bird response to the practices using remote acoustic monitoring devices. After the workshop, participants are invited to sign up for a free two-hour site visit of their property in which an NNRG Forester will help them refine plans for managing their forest and answer site-specific questions. This workshop is perfect for Conservation Easement landowners with forest lands, forest practitioners, land managers, and anyone else interested in forest conservation practices. When: Thursday, November 14th, from 10:00am-2:00pm Where: Kingston, WA | | | | | | | | Stewardship Work Part: Beard's Cove Invasive Removal Join Great Peninsula Conservancy for our upcoming stewardship work party at Beard’s Cove, part of the Klingel-Bryan-Beard Wildlife Refuge! This beautiful preserve, which sits on Hood Canal near the Union River estuary, has been the site of a major restoration project. This will be the first of two work parties focused on removing invasive blackberry and scotch broom at Beard’s Cove to protect trees planted in 2022! Learn more about our original planting project here: Planting for the future at Klingel-Bryan-Beard. When: Saturday, November 16th, from 10:00am-12:30pm Where: Belfair, WA | | | | | | | | Walk and Talk: Salmon Conservation at Chico Creek Join GPC on Saturday, November 16th, 10:00am–12:00pm, for a guided tour through Chico Creek’s stunning salmon habitat! Starting at Chico Salmon Viewing Park, we’ll explore Erlands Point Preserve, and the Chico Creek Estuary. Chico Creek is home to the largest run of wild chum salmon in Kitsap County and also supports coho, steelhead, cutthroat trout and the occasional stray Chinook salmon. Learn how our community works together to implement salmon habitat enhancement techniques in this vital waterway. When: Saturday, November 16th, from 10:00am-12:30pm Where: Bremerton, WA | | | | | | | | | | | | “My infatuation with the wild places of our country started very early in life," says John Dickson. "Each summer, my family would pack our station wagon, leave Indianapolis and travel north to the top of Michigan. I spent youthful days on the lovely, secluded shores of northern Lake Michigan. There were rivers, ponds and estuaries around every bend. Wildlife was abundant. Both of my parents loved the natural beauty of our country and encouraged me and my siblings to become good stewards of the land." John and Susan Dickson—and their children and grandchildren—love to spend time in nature. John was excited to include GPC in his will to help make sure the lands and waters they love near their home in Gig Harbor are there for their grandchildren and great grandchildren to explore and cherish. Great Peninsula Conservancy has three spots left in our $20,000 Legacy Challenge. For every pledge submitted, a generous match of $1,000 will be donated, thereby supporting community conservation now AND in the future. Submit your pledge online or contact Development Manager Katherine Tacke with questions at katherine@greatpeninsula.org or 360-373-3500 x 107. Learn more about the types of legacy gifts and how we recognize our legacy members here. | | | | | | | | | | Forest Conservation Practices with Jefferson Land Trust Join Jefferson Land Trust and Northwest Natural Resource Group’s (NNRG) lead forester Jaal Mann on Nov. 2, 2024, for a free workshop on Forest Conservation Practices at the 65-acre Valley View Forest in Chimacum, WA. Leaders will discuss the successes and challenges of planning and implementing ecological forestry practices and how these practices can improve habitat conditions and forest resilience by increasing species and structural diversity. They will also discuss an effort to capture bird response to the practices using remote acoustic monitoring devices. After the workshop, participants are invited to sign up for a free two-hour site visit of their property in which an NNRG forester will help them refine plans for managing their forest and answer site-specific questions. This workshop is perfect for Conservation Easement landowners with forest lands, forest practitioners, land managers, and anyone else interested in forest conservation practices. When: Saturday, November 2nd, from 10:00am-2:00pm Where: Chimacum, WA | | | | | | | |  | Do you have a car, truck, or boat sitting around gathering dust? Consider donating it to Great Peninsula Conservancy via the CARS donation program. We'll use the proceeds from the sale to support our mission. Donating your vehicle is easy, the pick-up is free, and your gift is tax deductible*. Visit the CARS website to get started, or contact us with your questions: katherine@greatpeninsula.org. *Be sure to consult your tax advisor. | | | | Like what we're up to? Our work is made possible by generous donors like you. | | | | | |  | | | | | If this email was forwarded to you, you can join our e-news to receive your own copy in the future. | | | | | | | |
