STILLWATERS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER
26034 Barber Cutoff Road, Kingston, WA 98346
360-297-1226

Website updated May 5, 2022

Upcoming Events

Kingston Curiosity Walk
​Saturday May 14th, 10am

Join us in participating in the Kitsap Sun's Kingston Curiosity Walk! The scavenger hunt will begin at the Kingston Village green, sending participants on a trip through the community's past and present. Stillwaters will have a booth at Arness Park, providing info on our local estuary ecosystem and the plants and animals that call it home.

Green Frog Day at Kingston Sunday Market
 Sunday May 22, 10am-3pm

On Sunday May 22, 11-year-old Asha Kanda, a student ambassador with the National Parks Trust, will be joining Stillwaters at the Kingston Sunday Market to share information about the non-native green frog (Lithobates clamitans, NOT the native Pacific tree frog, Pseudacris regilla, that is the typical green one found here!) in Kitsap County.  Asha recently received a grant from the National Parks Trust to work with Stillwaters to learn about green frogs and native amphibians in Kitsap and share her knowledge with other kids and adults alike. 

​Community Turns Out to Rescue Amphibians at North Kitsap Heritage Park 
By Program Director Melissa Fleming for the Kitsap Community News, May 2022

On the last weekend in February, after several days of overnight temperatures below freezing, rainy weather increased nighttime low temperatures more than 20o F between Friday and Monday. From 5PM Sunday to 5 PM Monday, an atmospheric river also dumped 2 inches of rain on Kingston. The combination of mild temperatures and wet weather provided the perfect opportunity for local amphibians to make their annual trek to wetland breeding grounds.

Their breeding migration into North Kitsap Heritage Park was thwarted by construction associated with the Arborwood development....Read the full artcile

Why donate to Stillwaters? 
Our donors can tell you.

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"It has done what it promised to do."

- Joybelle Johnson-Eriks and Paul Eriks
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​"At Stillwaters, you can actually see how nature is being healed and restored!"
- Ron & Jackie Nitz
​​"I pledge to Stillwaters because I value their watershed
research & education programs."

​- Judy Maule

Solution to beaver flooding Barber Cutoff Road is in sight
Dr. Melissa Fleming; Stillwaters Program Director

​Carpenter Creek backed up from a beaver dam 300 yds downstream threatened to overflow Barber Cut Off in May.
"​This is a serious problem. First, long-term solutions cannot be implemented without an intact dam to work with. Second, tampering with beaver dams is illegal without a Hydraulic Project Approval from WDFW. "
Folks familiar with Barber Cut Off Road are no doubt also familiar with signs that appear most winters alerting drivers to “Water over Roadway” when Carpenter Creek overflows the road north of Gordon Elementary. Beaver activity often blocks the culvert there and on Tuckerman Ave (AKA Carpenter Lane), requiring multiple visits from county road crews over the years to clear the blockages.
Read the full article...​
Beavers Northwest will return when the beavers inevitably rebuild. Meanwhile, folks that have problems with beaver dams should contact Beavers Northwest (http://www.beaversnw.org/) and WDFW for advice before acting. 

"Dam It: Why Beavers Matter"
Watch this YouTube video about nature's most ingenious engineers with Ben Goldfarb, author of "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter."

Thank you book donors!

Because of YOUR donations, Stillwaters volunteers have been busy selling books through our online bookstore. Special thanks to Nancy Dumcum, Sue Michaelis, and Naomi Maasberg for their hours of hard work. Their combined efforts have raised over $5,000 this year, strongly supporting Stillwaters' general operations!
Just a reminder that you are always welcome to drop off books at the Tree House front porch. And don't forget to pick up a receipt form (on the porch wall) to document your tax donation.

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance & Stillwaters work together!​

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On October 12th Stillwaters teamed up with the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance for an evening beach cleanup around downtown Kingston as part of their Week of Action. Despite chilly weather, we had a great turnout from Stillwaters members, Soundkeeper cleanup regulars, and even yacht club members! 
Overall, our 13 volunteers picked up over 180 pounds of trash, ranging from cigarette butts to intact window frames. Thanks to everyone who came out to help, and to Puget Soundkeeper for organizing this event.

Volunteer Opportunities at Stillwaters

Stillwaters monitors a variety of environmental variables to assess the recovery of the lower Carpenter Creek watershed.  We have opportunities for volunteers of varying abilities and energies, from very agile to more sedentary, all of which make critical contributions to our work. Please mail our Program Director, Melissa Fleming, for more information.

Art of Water Contest - Call for submissions

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We invite you to collaborate with us in our partnership with Barbara Krystal of the University of Washington, in a project celebrating WATER. Water shapes our world, our imagination, and moves us to create. Following the spirit of community science, THE ART OF WATER PROJECT honors public scholarship and carries that inclusivity into the realm of the arts and humanities.
Exhibits include: Music, Material Art, Photography, Performance, Film, and Written Verse.
​We welcome displaying your creative work in the online gallery: theartofwater.global
Click here to submit
For any questions email Barbara Krystal at theartofwater.global@gmail.com or bjk9@uw.edu

Thank you to
CREOi
f or supporting our research documenting how changes in hydrology since the culvert removals (which restored natural tidal exchange and creek flow to the estuary) are affecting native and invasive plant communities in the salt marsh
​on Carpenter Creek. 

Thank you to
Rotary of Kingston North Kitsap
for awarding Stillwaters with a $3,000 grant to support our monitoring and restoration efforts.

Thank you to
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
for awarding  Stillwaters with a grant to enhance the environmental education of local children via our Discovery Pack program. ​
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Thank you to
Suquamish Tribe
for awarding  Stillwaters with a grant to share the results of our ecosystem recovery and monitoring projects with our partners and the community.

Stimulus for Stillwaters?
President Biden recently signed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package into law.  Under its terms, the new law will provide a $1400 check to most Americans.  For some, this is vitally needed for housing and food. For many who receive the $1400, the money is not as critical to cover immediate needs.  It is, in a sense, "found money."

​If you can, please consider using your “found money” as charitable gifts to local nonprofit organizations, such as Stillwaters Environmental Center and get the most out of your 2021 tax donations. For the 2021 tax year, the same $300 “above-the-line” deduction still applies for individuals; however, those filing jointly will be able to deduct up to $600 (whether you itemize or not).