STILLWATERS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER
26059 Barber Cutoff Road, Kingston, WA 98346
360-297-1226

Website updated November 23, 2021

Making community connections with Discovery Packs for children
By Brittany Murphy; Intern

Discovery Pack Launch Party
​Saturday, December 4th, 10-11 AM

​Explore and discover nature through fun activities and games using the family friendly, interactive, scientific, hands-on investigation tools in a Stillwaters Environmental Center Discovery Pack at the Village Green Park Pavilion.
​
The smoke was thick and low, my son asked me "Why is it so hot?" It was nearly 100 degrees in August. I answered, "Our world is changing because of the way we live our lives." But what came out of him next made me stop our exploration and take pause. 

I pulled out a book from the Discovery Pack, settled our family on the platform half way down to Carpenter Lake near Gordon Elementary, and read "The EARTH book" by Todd Parr. The squeaking of the binding seemed to bring him back. He repeated himself, just looking at me as if he knew something I didn't. "Then, why don't we change the way we are living?" My son is five. I told him "This is a great start. Exploring today helps us connect with the world around us!"
View a reading of Todd Parr's "THE EARTH BOOK."
​The Discovery Packs give community a free opportunity to create adventure and wonder. Each Discovery Pack is filled with equipment for exploration and hands-on investigation. Binoculars, catch nets, magnifying jars, safety goggles, field journal, a children's book, naturalist pocket guidebooks, and games... to name a few. These packs will be available for check-out at the Kingston Library throughout the winter and beyond. 
 
This is a free, family-friendly activity, with something for everyone to dig in to! If you provide feedback about what you liked the most, what worked, and what didn't, you can help us make this program a success for our future scientists to discover the rich world we share.

Help kids discover nature!

Your donation will help us update the existing Discovery Packs with new supplies and provide more to share in our local libraries and schools - supporting our community.

Why donate to Stillwaters? 
Our donors can tell you.

Picture
"It has done what it promised to do."

Joybelle Johnson-Eriks and Paul Eriks
Picture
​​"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."

Educational Outreach

Meet our newest intern - Brittany Murphy

Picture
Hello Fellow Explorers! My name is Brittany Murphy. I am a Poulsbo native, growing thick in partial shade. I am a North Kitsap graduate working toward a Bachelor's of Applied Behavioral Sciences at Seattle Central College. I first heard about Stillwaters in the newspaper and discovered the importance of community involvement through my three young scientists. Their adventurous nature and inquisition about their developing world make me want to learn the "why" behind every bewilderment.

I aim to never stop asking questions. I hope to keep my environment our playground and our classroom. Teaching the next generation how to further their understanding of how to live inter-connectedly with the planet is one of my most fruitful passions. I am so grateful to be with Stillwaters Environmental Center learning new ways to spread education and information.

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!​

Picture
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

Picture
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
Kitsap Community Foundation
for awarding Stillwaters with a $5,000 grant made possible by the Kitsap Environmental Stewardship Fund & Sparky's Fund.
Picture
​A grant renewal from Conservation, Research and Education Opportunities International  (CREOi) supports 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.

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).