“19 and a teeny bit” is the answer … and that is how many trees, on average, each of the 35 people who went out to Elysian Meadows on Saturday morning planted! It was a work party co-sponsored by the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and the Skagit Land Trust. There were a variety of small trees, all 675 of them in those medium black plastic pots, to be planted around the edge of the meadow and near the river. They will provide shade, cover and habitat for wildlife, and help protect the river banks. Some pictures are attached.
It was great to see so many people - ranging in age from about 6 months old to 82 years young! Many hands make short and fun work. It was a beautiful day and setting, and there were some tasty refreshments too. Most of the ground was soft and most of the shovels had long handles! There was plenty of instruction and help for the “newbies.” A dozen of the workers were volunteers from the Watershed Masters class we have been following here.
There is another opportunity next Saturday too – see the calendar below for more details. Get out there and DIG IN!
This past Thursday evening, nearly 400 people spent the evening out at Skagit Valley Gardens where the beautiful new book, Natural Skagit, a journey from mountains to sea was introduced. It was produced by the Skagit Land Trust, and with over 240 photographs and interesting articles, it is a grand addition to your personal library and also makes a great gift. See their web site below for buying details. Your humble author personally thinks the book title is stunning and if you look closely you will find a photo from his humble camera in there as well!
This past Wednesday evening the Watershed Masters class heard from Professor Richard Gammon, who does Chemistry and Oceanography at the University of Washington. He gave us a fact and picture filled story about the climate change we all hear so much about. Whatever your beliefs or leanings, his material was jarring, eye opening, and compelling. The science behind the findings is widely accepted and very broad. Professor Gammon is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international organization that publishes a Climate Change Assessment about every 5 years, the most recent in 2007. His talk was a great way to end the class because …
… the second half of the class was our Graduation wrap-up and ceremony! Our leader, Kristi Carpenter reviewed all our goals and activities and played a nice slide and music show made up of pictures she took during our outings! We had a ceremonial cake and thank yous from Carolyn Kelley who runs the Skagit Conservation District and Blaine Chesterfield, manager of the City of Mt. Vernon Surface Water Division. Both of these organizations help sponsor the class. We, all 27 of us, got our certificates and sent on our way to try to complete 40 hours of volunteer efforts, in relevant fields, over the next two years! Boy … 40 x 27 = 1080 hrs … we are going to make a dent in something worthwhile!!!
This class will start again next fall … watch for a mailer!!! A great way to Find A Place and Dig In!
The Local-Organization-You-Might-Want-To-Be-Involved-With this week is the Skagit Land Trust http://www.skagitlandtrust.org More than 12 years old now; the Skagit Land Trust has helped permanently preserve thousands of acres of natural lands in Skagit County. The primary way is by encouraging and helping land owners to place a conservation easement on some or all of their land, thus extinguishing the rights to develop on it forever. If you have a nice piece of property and would like to do this, they have all the expertise and know-how, and are the legal body to assure that the easement stays forever.
The Land Trust also buys or acquires land by other means as well, and then holds title to the land. Several large parcels, especially in sensitive habitat areas along the Skagit River are owned this way. One of the best known is the Hurn Field property towards Concrete, where there is the nice pull out for viewing the elk that frequent the area.
The Skagit Land Trust hosts an annual late-fall tour into one of our big heron-nesting sites – this year on Saturday, December 6. The birds are not there, but the hundreds of huge nests, way up in the tall, leafless trees, are. It is a very popular and eye-opening experience, and the instructions for attending are below in the calendar of events.
Here are some near-term activities to consider:
Tue. Nov. 18 Rockport State Park Area Public Meeting 6:30pm Concrete High School 7830 S. Superior Ave. Review planning alternatives and share ideas, comments and suggestions about them. or 360 755 9231 for more info. Also http://www.parks.wa.gov/plans/rockport/
Sat. Nov. 22 Help Plant Riparian Trees and Shrubs 9:00am – 1:00pm Jackman Creek, Concrete (about 1 hr. from I-5) Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group Go 5 minutes on east of Concrete, watch for parking signs on the right. 336-0172 or for more directions and to let them know you are coming.
Sat. Nov. 22 Birding on the Samish Flats 8:30 a.m. to early afternoon Skagit Audubon Society http://www.fidalgo.net/~audubon/ A mostly drive-and-bird field trip across the raptor-rich Samish Flats and surrounding area. Though justly famous for its raptors, the flats also provide numerous opportunities to spot shorebirds, ducks, and songbirds. Bring a lunch if you plan to continue birding into the afternoon. Meet in the parking lot of the Breazeale Interpretive Center at Padilla Bay to arrange carpools. Please bring your Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Recreational Use Permit if you have one (for parking at the West-90). Leader: Libby Mills (360-757-4139)
Sun. Nov. 23 Marblemount Fish Hatchery Tour Guide Training 11:00am – 2pm Marblemount Fish Hatchery Learn to lead tours (2) on weekends between Dec. 6 and Feb. 1 Lucy or Ona at 336-0172 or for more directions and to sign up.
Sat. Dec. 6 Heronry Tour 10:00am – 1:00pm Location not yet determined. Check http://www.skagitlandtrust.org for details as location firmed up. Lifetime opportunity!
Sat. Dec.6 Whistle Lake work party 9:00am http://www.friendsoftheacfl.org Take a break from the Holidays and help us yank non-native invasive English Ivy along trail 300. This is a small patch that can easily be conquered with a fun work party event. Let’s meet at the corner of O Ave and Spradley, at trailhead 300. There is no hike, as the patch is near the road.
Many similar events and activities and opportunities are posted on the GoSkagit Event Calendar. Check it often!
(This blog is a service of the Skagit Conservation Education Alliance (SCEA) http://www.skagitwater.org Your comments will be helpful. New ideas to consider, and changes we should make are especially welcome. Corrections and further enlightenment will help as well. You can email to . Thank you.)
