| | | | Hi Friend, Right now, Pacific dogwood is blooming across our preserves — those brilliant white bracts catching the light like small lanterns in the forest understory. It's one of my favorite signs that spring has fully settled in, and a good reminder to slow down and look up. May is a full one at GPC! We have just a few weeks left to grab tickets for the Conservation Celebration on June 4th at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort — this is our biggest event of the year, and a beautiful opportunity to celebrate the lands and people we love. Beyond the celebration, this month's e-news is full of ways to get involved: from learning about an invasive crab threatening our local waters, to a heartwarming story of a family's gift that will protect a beloved estuary forever. Here's to getting outside, | | | | | | | | Drury Family Donates Land to Conserve Seabeck Estuary | | | | We are thrilled to announce the permanent protection of the entire Little Beef Creek estuary near Seabeck, thanks to a generous land donation from the Drury family of Bainbridge Island. The 14-acre gift honors Gretchen Elizabeth Drury, who passed away in 2021 with a lifelong wish to see this treasured place protected — and combined with GPC's adjacent acquisition from the Harlow family, the entire estuary is now permanently conserved. The protected land safeguards critical spawning and rearing habitat for threatened Hood Canal summer chum salmon and joins a growing network of GPC preserves in the Big Beef area. Read the full story to learn about the Drury family's decades-long love for this magical place — and how you might honor a loved one with a gift of land to GPC. | | | | | | | | 2026 Conservation Celebration Rooted in Conservation, Connected in Community Presented by Puget Sound to Pacific Collaborative | |  | Only a couple weeks left to purchase your ticket for the Conservation Celebration on June 4 at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort from 5:30-9:00pm. It's an evening of good food, great community, and real gratitude for the lands we love. Registration closes May 26. | | | | A heartfelt thank you to our title sponsor, Puget Sound to Pacific, and to our lead, conservation, & community sponsors helping us celebrate the people and places that make our region home: Ueland Foundation, Keta Legacy Foundation, Puget Sound Energy, Rayonier, Darrel Emel's Tree Service, Kitsap Bank, Port Madison Enterprises, & Taylor Shellfish. | |  | | | | | Gig Harbor Landowners Restore a Natural Beach Along Puget Sound | | | | A Gig Harbor family is helping restore the health of Puget Sound by removing 750 feet of shoreline armor from their property and returning the beach to a more natural state. Completed in partnership with Pierce Conservation District and GPC, the project will improve habitat for forage fish, salmon, eelgrass, and other nearshore wildlife. The restoration also builds on the family’s long-standing commitment to conservation through a permanent conservation easement on the property. Read the full story to learn how private landowners are playing a vital role in protecting and restoring Puget Sound shorelines. | | | | | | | | | |  | Spring has a way of reminding us to think ahead. What we plant now will shape generations to come. The Legacy Society honors those who have chosen to make a lasting impact for local conservation by including GPC in their estate plans. Whether through a bequest, naming GPC as a beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy, or other planned gift, Legacy Society members ensure that this mission they love continues to grow long into the future. If you've already included GPC in your estate plans, or are simply curious about what that might look like, we'd love to hear from you. Every new legacy pledge will activate a $1,000 donation thanks to supporters Mike & Becky Hall. Learn more on our website. | | | | | | | | Local Efforts to Monitor for European Green Crabs | | | | The invasive European green crab is making its way into our waters — and we are joining in with local detection efforts. Considered one of the top five most invasive marine species in the world, green crabs have recently been spotted as far inland as Hood Canal, where they pose a serious threat to native shellfish, eelgrass, and the estuary habitat that salmon depend on. Read our latest blog to learn more about this growing threat and what's being done to monitor it. You can be part of the solution! GPC participates in the Washington Sea Grant Crab Team monitoring network, and we're hosting a Green Crab Molt Search at Misery Point on July 3 — a hands-on opportunity to contribute to real science. Read the blog to learn more, then sign up for the molt search and join us this summer. | | | | | | | | Get Your Official GPC Merchandise! | |  | We're excited to announce the launch of our new online merch store! Featuring apparel and accessories designed to celebrate the Great Peninsula and support our conservation work, every purchase directly funds our efforts to protect local habitats, preserve water quality, and engage our community. Wear your conservation pride and help us inspire others—shop now and make a difference with every item you choose. | | | | | | | | Stillwaters Online Book Sales | | Want to expand your library in an environmentally friendly way? Shop Stillwaters’ online used book sale at AbeBooks. Stillwaters Environmental Center's long-running online book sale has continued, thanks to dedicated volunteers, through the transition to GPC. You can shop for our books online, all year round at AbeBooks! Click HERE to browse our online books for sale. If you are interested in donating books, we accept them all year long. Contact us at [email protected] for more information. | | | | | | | | | | May Clear Creek Trail Work Party Join us at the Clear Creek Trail for our spring work party and summer trail prep! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature and fellow community members while maintaining one of Silverdale’s most beloved outdoor spaces. Volunteers are welcome to drop in anytime between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm to help with tasks such as trimming overgrown vegetation, picking up litter, and maintaining trail accessibility. Your involvement helps ensure that Clear Creek Trail remains a safe and enjoyable space for the thousands who visit annually! When: May 9th, 9:00am – 12:00pm Where: Silverdale, WA | | | | | | | | Book Club Interest Meeting Love learning about the natural world? Want to read some great books and connect with your community? In partnership with Kitsap Environmental Coalition, GPC is starting a book club! We’ll be reading nature-focused non-fiction, and meeting at the Clear Creek Interpretive Center to talk about what we’ve read together. Join us for this interest meeting to get acquainted with each other, share book recommendations, and vote on our inaugural title! We’ll provide coffee and tea for you to enjoy! When: May 13th, 5:30pm – 7:00pm Where: Silverdale, WA | | | | | | | | Slugs and Stumpers: Banana Slug Trivia Night Join us at the Clear Creek Interpretive Center for a slug talk and trivia night celebrating the unsung heroes of the forest floor. We’ll explore the fascinating world of Pacific Northwest slugs, from the iconic banana slug’s remarkable biology to the invasive species showing up on lands like Clear Creek Trail. Ashlyn McGarrah, GPC’s Community Engagement Associate, will lead a presentation covering slug ecology, biology, and what to watch for during your time volunteering in the field. Then, we’ll put some of that knowledge to the test with a five-round trivia night spanning PNW wildlife, GPC conservation history, and more. Healthy forests depend on the many amazing organisms that most people overlook. Join us for a fun night of learning and competitive trivia! When: May 28th, 6:00pm – 8:00pm Where: Clear Creek Interpretive Center, Silverdale, WA | | | | | | | | Stewardship Work Party: Weed Removal and Seedling Maintenance at Miller Bay Shoreline East Join GPC and Friends of Miller Bay to remove weeds and help free the trees at Miller Bay Shoreline East in Kingston! Come see this beautiful property and help further the restoration efforts here. This small property includes important shoreline habitat, which builds on previous work to create contiguous habitat protection spanning GPC’s Grovers Creek Preserve and Miller Bay. These conserved acres provide an important wildlife corridor for deer, river otter, and black bear, and protect critical habitat for endangered Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, as well as chum and coho salmon, and cutthroat trout. When: May 30th, 10:00am – 12:30pm Where: Kingston, WA | | | | | | | | Friends of Miller Bay Upcoming Work Parties | | The Friends of Miller Bay (FOMB) work party schedule is live! FOMB regularly holds work parties at GPC preserves within Miller Bay. Come out, and meet neighbors and members who care about our environment! Be sure to sign the waiver on the FOMB Volunteer Page and sign up so they know you're coming. Upcoming Events: -
Saturday May 23, 9 am to 1 pm - Miller Bay Preserve -
Saturday June 6, 9am to 1 pm - Cowling Creek Forest Preserve -
Saturday July 11, Annual Miller Bay Shoreline Clean up. For more information, visit the FOMB Calendar or contact Paul Dorn directly at [email protected] | | | | | | | | Learn How to Protect Your Shoreline with Shore Friendly Pierce | | | | Pierce Conservation District is hosting a workshop on May 28th at the Boyles-Johnson property for those interested in learning about resources available for bulkhead removal. Attendees will learn about erosion risk considerations, drainage management, vegetation and maintaining views, and shoreline armor removal options. To learn more and register, visit https://zfrmz.com/mzy4iJtpRWgA7TF1w83g. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | |
