GivingTuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. This global day of giving inspires generosity around the world, with a common mission to build a world where generosity is part of everyday life.
Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.
Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.
Stillwaters introduces the new Science Friday Program! Each month on a Friday evening, Stillwaters will host lectures on Zoom about our monitoring projects and results. Every talk will cover a different project and how it has helped us understand our local ecosystem.
|
New Science Friday webinar series begins Friday, November 12, 6PMHost: Hanna Brush; Stillwaters Program Assistant
|
|
Next Friday, November 12th at 6:00pm will be our first of the series. This talk will introduce the Sitka spruce trees of Carpenter Creek estuary and share the exciting work we're doing to understand them. I will present brand-new results from our Sitka spruce seedling planting project, as well as plans to better understand how restoring the estuary may have impacted these forest giants. The presentation will be roughly 30 minutes long, with a Q&A session to follow. All are welcome!
|
Movers & Shakers > Sediment Sampling
|
Check out our rockin' sediment shaker!
|
Stillwaters' volunteers and staff are busy processing sediment samples collected from either side of the South Kingston Bridge to document the movement of sediment in the estuary system since culvert removals.
Samples are sifted through different sized sieves and particles of different sizes are quantified (e.g., silt, fine sand, cobble, etc.). |
Monitoring Assistant, Hanna Brush
|
Volunteers Cindi Nevins and Betsy Cooper.
|
National Cleanup Day
In honor of National Cleanup Day on September 18th , Stillwaters was out and clearly visible picking up litter along Barber Cutoff Road. The road was surprisingly clean! In May, we collected 13 bags of litter, but our September cleanup only brought in 6 bags from the 1.6 mile stretch of Barber Cutoff Road. If you have a name to suggest for the Stillwaters' beaver, or if you'd like information on the next cleanup event, please email Terry Pereida at terry@stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org. |
2nd Adopt-A-Road Cleanup Completed
|
Meet
|
Hanna Brush, monitoring and administrative assistant, joined Stillwaters in August of 2021. Hanna graduated in 2021 from Tufts University, where she double majored in biology and environmental studies. During her time at Tufts, she studied the ecology and nectaring behavior of Puget blue butterflies in southwest Washington’s native short grass prairies. A recent transplant from Portland, Oregon, she is enjoying getting to know life on the water at her home on Miller Bay. Hanna is looking forward to learning about the plants and animals of this unique estuary environment.
|
|
UW Intern Isabel Wilson brings new knowledge to Stillwaters
|
Isabel wanted to explore Stillwaters’ bird survey data, which has been collected monthly since 2003 by volunteers. It is a complex dataset as the number of sites in the lower Carpenter Creek watershed visited by Stillwaters birders varies seasonally and has changed somewhat over the years. Isabel decided to focus on the two sites that have been surveyed the longest and year around: Appletree Cove from Arness Park and the Kingfisher lobe of the Kingston Estuary (AKA the Slough) on the other side of the South Kingston Road.
Click here to read what we learned |
Volunteers needed for Puget Soundkeepers' cleanup!
Tuesday, October 12th, 4-6 PM
|
Puget Soundkeeper, Stillwaters Environmental Center, and Kingston Chamber of Commerce are thrilled to partner for an outdoor, family-friendly event on behalf of our beloved Puget Sound.
Join us for the 10/12 Week of Action cleanup at Mike Wallace Park and help us in preserving and protecting our shared waters. Also, gather at the Kingston Ale House post-cleanup with a complimentary $2 discount to all cleanup participants. Click here to register now! |
National Estuaries Week
|
Join us for a nationwide celebration of our bays and estuaries and the many benefits they provide to local communities.
Beginning in 1988, National Estuaries Week was founded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since then, Restore America's Estuaries has revived the occasion and partnered with other organizations to raise awareness for this ecosystem Stillwaters Environmental Center is teaming up with Shore Friendly Kitsap, Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, and Friends of Miller Bay to promote the conservation of our local estuaries. Please visit us at the large tent at the Kingston Public Market from 10-3 on Sun., Sept 19th for a variety of fun and educational activities. Also, there will be teams at the local Arness Beach offering eye-opening beach tours. For more information on National Estuaries Week, visit www.estuaries.org. |
|
Kingston Public Market
Stillwaters hosted their second outreach booth at the August 15th Kingston Public Market. Special thanks to volunteer Jenna Wright and intern, Celina De Jong for their outstanding efforts to share the Stillwaters story. We are still planning on a larger presence at the September 19th Kingston Public Market and hope to be joined by Shore Friendly Kitsap, Mid-Sound Fisheries, and Friends of Miller Bay... providing the Coronavirus cooperates. |
|
Coyotes, Bears, and Deer...
Oh My!
Summer has brought the local wildlife out to visit. Coyotes are leaving tracks in the marsh, bears are leaving tracks and tree scratches, and the young deer are learning how to maneuver in the salt marsh terrain.
|
Program Director, Melissa Fleming, adds perspective to the size of the bear.
|
Check out Melissa's video of deer in the marsh.
|
Summer Volunteer Opportunities in Community Science at Stillwaters
Melissa Fleming, Ph.D., Program Director
Stillwaters monitors a variety of environmental variables to assess the recovery of the lower Carpenter Creek watershed. We accomplish this with a part time staff, college and high school interns, and dozens of volunteers. We are excited to be able to ramp up our training of new volunteers again for the first time in more than a year. 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. Follow the link below for more details of some ongoing and upcoming projects!
For more information, email our Program Director, Melissa Fleming.
For more information, email our Program Director, Melissa Fleming.
|
Kingston Public Market
Stillwaters hosted an outreach booth at the July 18th Kingston Public Market. Special thanks to Monitoring Assistant, Jenna Wright, Intern, Celina De Jong, and Admin. Assistant, Ann Rivers, for their outstanding efforts to share the Stillwaters story. Charming the kids with her beaver mask, Jenna lured the young ones to pet the river otter pelt, and look closely at the skulls of a blue heron, beaver, and coyote. Thanks to all our visitors - you made our day! Look for us again on the third Sunday of August and September! |
|
Friends of the Library, Poulsbo
Stillwaters is beginning to resume education and outreach activities within the community. In June, Melissa spoke to the Poulsbo Friends of the Library regarding Stillwaters' early role in Washington state's effort to remove culverts that block habitat for salmon and steelhead. She also summarized our monitoring and restoration efforts since culvert removal in the local Kingston area, and stirred up some interest in a variety of volunteer opportunities.
Stillwaters is beginning to resume education and outreach activities within the community. In June, Melissa spoke to the Poulsbo Friends of the Library regarding Stillwaters' early role in Washington state's effort to remove culverts that block habitat for salmon and steelhead. She also summarized our monitoring and restoration efforts since culvert removal in the local Kingston area, and stirred up some interest in a variety of volunteer opportunities.
New Stillwaters Blog
1st Adopt-A-Road Cleanup Completed!
|
A small group of Stillwaters' volunteers and one staff beaver spent the afternoon on Saturday, May 1st, collecting 13 bags of litter from a 1.6 mile stretch of Barber Cutoff Road! Thanks to volunteers Beth Berglund, Amy Maule, David Dixson, and Laurie Yamamura, and Program Director, Melissa Fleming for making a difference - one you can see!
To volunteer for the next Adopt-A-Road Cleanup (date to be determined), please email Terry Pereida at stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org. Pictured from left are David Dixson, Melissa Fleming, and Laurie Yamamura. |
