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February News

 

100 Acres Acquired to Expand the Hansville Greenway!

GPC's newest acquisition, outlined here in orange, adds 100 acres to the Greenway, which is owned by Kitsap County Parks and maintained by the Hansville Greenway Association.

Following the successful $2.15 million community campaign, Great Peninsula Conservancy acquired 100 acres west of the Hansville Greenway last month to expand the protected area and extend the community trail system. Volunteers with the Greenway will work closely with GPC's stewardship team to maintain the trails and begin work on restoring this formerly logged land into a healthy forest.

Save the date for a ribbon cutting event on Saturday, March 26th with guided walks on the new property!

 

Climate Resilience

 

The future of conservation is in climate resilience. Climate change is expected to have increasingly dramatic impacts on our society, and on the ecosystems and landscapes we depend on.

We’re looking ahead and we’re making a plan for climate resilience. In order to fulfill our mission of protecting and stewarding our lands in perpetuity, Great Peninsula Conservancy is working to integrate climate resilience into our planning processes, conservation work, and stewardship.

Check out an interactive map to discover the resilient, connected, and crucial lands in our working region that will help GPC prioritize our conservation work.

 

Events

 

Join GPC at Ueland Tree Farm next Saturday to learn about certified tree farms and get hands-on practice using forestry tools! Forester Mark Mauren, Chief Operation Officer of Ueland Tree Farm, will provide an introduction. GPC executive director, Nate Daniel, will guide us in using forestry tools to measure age, diameter, and height of the trees we see on the trail. At the end, get a chance to take home a native tree!

Space is limited, sign up today!

 

On the Blog

5,000 Trees Planted!

 

There’s a new forest being made down at 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. With at least 225 volunteers contributing, this just might be the largest volunteer effort that Great Peninsula Conservancy has ever organized!

 

Land Labs

 

Welcome VISTAs!

Great Peninsula Conservancy is entering the second year of an AmeriCorps VISTA grant and welcoming three new service members to the cohort that supports our education program, Land Labs

 

Thea joins GPC as the Land Labs Development Coordinator VISTA. Originally from California, she moved to Washington two years ago and has fallen in love with Puget Sound and its natural beauty. She began her career coordinating invasive plant removal projects and planning fundraising events. Since arriving in Washington she conducted outreach for zero waste projects in the Seattle area. She is excited to return to the world of land conservation, and support the Land Labs program!

Colin is excited to serve as the Community Stewardship Coordinator VISTA. He grew up in northwest Washington State and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Public Health. He has diverse professional experiences in public sector and non-profit organizations focused on climate change, health, and equity. As an avid hiker, backpacker and trail runner, Colin has a deep passion for addressing the impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Jaime Webb recently moved to Washington from Northern Indiana to serve as the Land Labs Education Coordinator VISTA. They are dedicated to serving community schools to help support student success in STEM careers via GPC programs. He has a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Environmental Education from Goshen College, with experience in teaching K-12, curriculum development, and land management involving environmental restoration.

 

Fond Farewell!

Many thanks to Education Coordinator Sierra Kross, who has completed her year of AmeriCorps VISTA service at GPC.

Sierra has professional experience engaging diverse communities to connect with the natural world through organizing education and volunteer opportunities. With a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management from University of Washington, Sierra also offers technical skills in conservation, project development and management, and quantitative analysis. She hopes to pursue a career locally in the sustainable stewardship of natural resources. Have a lead? Reach out to Sierra at sierra@greatpeninsula.org.

 

Partner Spotlight

Forest Health Watch
Empowering PNW Communities to Keep Forests Healthy

One of the many partners on GPC's assisted migration tree planting last month was through the Plant Pathology Program at Washington State University. Check out their community science project with the Forest Health Watch program (and share your observations!) to create a Western Redcedar Dieback Map that will help identify patterns in the western redcedar's decline. 

 

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Great Peninsula Conservancy

423 Pacific Avenue, Suite 300
Bremerton, WA 98337
membership@greatpeninsula.org
(360) 373-3500

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