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Whidbey Audubon Birding in the Neighborhoods - South Whidbey

The trips are every other Thursday and the meeting time and place varies with the season. If you would like to be notified of the  events, contact Phyllis Kind via the Whidbey Audubon site.  No experience necessary.  Dress for the weather.  Carpool when possible.  This is a Whidbey Audubon Society sponsored event.

Help us keep our beaches clean and keep harmful debris out of our marine habitat.  This is a WSU Island County Extension sponsored program.

A note from Stinger Anderson, Community Beach Cleanup Coordinator:

“Well, we have reached the end of yet another year. Overall, our beaches are looking pretty good.  Double Bluff, Joseph Whidbey, Deception Pass and the Camano Island State Parks all stay relatively clean these days.  The exceptions are the beaches around the Keystone Ferry- Fort Casey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Reserve and especially the Keystone Spit beaches.  On our last visit to Keystone Spit East the last Friday in December, twelve of us collected 240 pounds of litter in two hours.  And, we barely put a dent in the vast amount that has washed ashore from winter storms.

Thank you all for your help and support over 2014.  This program depends on people like you.

I’ll see you on the beach!

Please contact Stinger prior to attending a beach cleanup to let him know to expect you, preferably at least two days before. This will insure you know where to meet and that, if there is an emergency change or cancellation in the schedule, he can then notify you.

• Bags, gloves, and other equipment will be provided.
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over sand, cobble, and driftwood.
• Schedule can change due to adverse weather conditions.
• A one day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass. 
• Only Adults, 18 or older, may participate in these organized beach cleanups

Help us keep our beaches clean and keep harmful debris out of our marine habitat.  This is a WSU Island County Extension sponsored program.

A note from Stinger Anderson, Community Beach Cleanup Coordinator:

“Well, we have reached the end of yet another year. Overall, our beaches are looking pretty good.  Double Bluff, Joseph Whidbey, Deception Pass and the Camano Island State Parks all stay relatively clean these days.  The exceptions are the beaches around the Keystone Ferry- Fort Casey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Reserve and especially the Keystone Spit beaches.  On our last visit to Keystone Spit East the last Friday in December, twelve of us collected 240 pounds of litter in two hours.  And, we barely put a dent in the vast amount that has washed ashore from winter storms.

Thank you all for your help and support over 2014.  This program depends on people like you.

I’ll see you on the beach!

Please contact Stinger prior to attending a beach cleanup to let him know to expect you, preferably at least two days before. This will insure you know where to meet and that, if there is an emergency change or cancellation in the schedule, he can then notify you.

• Bags, gloves, and other equipment will be provided.
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over sand, cobble, and driftwood.
• Schedule can change due to adverse weather conditions.
• A one day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass. 
• Only Adults, 18 or older, may participate in these organized beach cleanups

The Rosario Beach Naturalist Program began as a collaboration between Deception Pass State Park and WSU Beach Watchers. The Beach Naturalist program is designed to promote interpretation and conservation at tide pools and beaches in our area.

If you like people, enjoy being on the beach, and are passionate about marine education; consider becoming a Rosario Beach Naturalist.

• Rosario Beach Naturalists serve as stewards and educators at the Rosario Tide Pools.
• Volunteers receive Beach Naturalist training on topics including intertidal invertebrates, marine mammals, coastal processes, and more!
• Classes will take place weekly in March and April. Stay tuned for more information about trainings.
• There is also a weekend field trip.
  
• Classes are free.  The only payment required is volunteering.
• A schedule of classes can be viewed below.

2015 Class Schedule:
Session 1:March 10th, 6-8PM @ the West Beach Shelter, Deception Pass State Park

Session 2: March 17th, 6-8PM @ the West Beach Shelter, Deception Pass State Park

Session 3: March 24th, 6-8PM @ the West Beach Shelter, Deception Pass State Park

Session 4: March 31st, 4-7PM @ Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Field Trip: April 18th, 9AM-12:30PM @ Rosario Beach,
Deception Pass State Park

Help us keep our beaches clean and keep harmful debris out of our marine habitat.  This is a WSU Island County Extension sponsored program.

A note from Stinger Anderson, Community Beach Cleanup Coordinator:

“Well, we have reached the end of yet another year. Overall, our beaches are looking pretty good.  Double Bluff, Joseph Whidbey, Deception Pass and the Camano Island State Parks all stay relatively clean these days.  The exceptions are the beaches around the Keystone Ferry- Fort Casey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Reserve and especially the Keystone Spit beaches.  On our last visit to Keystone Spit East the last Friday in December, twelve of us collected 240 pounds of litter in two hours.  And, we barely put a dent in the vast amount that has washed ashore from winter storms.

Thank you all for your help and support over 2014.  This program depends on people like you.

I’ll see you on the beach!

Please contact Stinger prior to attending a beach cleanup to let him know to expect you, preferably at least two days before. This will insure you know where to meet and that, if there is an emergency change or cancellation in the schedule, he can then notify you.

• Bags, gloves, and other equipment will be provided.
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over sand, cobble, and driftwood.
• Schedule can change due to adverse weather conditions.
• A one day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass. 
• Only Adults, 18 or older, may participate in these organized beach cleanups

Your septic system needs TLC.  If it’s mistreated it can fail and cost thousands to repair or replace.  State and local laws require an inspection every 1-3 years.  Learn about your system in a free Septic 101 Class.  If you have a conventional gravity or pressure system take Septic 201 and pay $25 to get certified to inspect your own system.

Pacific Rim Institute, Coupeville

Register at www.islandcountyseptictraining.com or 360-678-7914.

“Shelter is far beyond a physical place. It provides a safety net, an emotional space allowing people a chance to thrive.” 

What if everyone had . . .

• access to housing?
• a safe place to sleep every night?
• the right to stay in their homes as they aged?
• choices for sustainable living?
• the ability to own one’s own home, even when unable to qualify for a bank loan?

Each community is unique—each solution, different.

The theme of Shelter has challenged our Thriving Communities team this year. We’ve been inspired by stories from seven very different perspectives. We’ve explored homeless shelters for families, teens, and elders, meeting inspiring individuals driven by passion and hope. We’ve seen the positive impact of these shelters, combined with the availability of affordable housing. We’ve looked at the housing alternatives that are awakening all around us, in pocket communities and eco-villages that infuse a larger social and environmental perspective into the conversation on shelter.

Our time together at this year’s Thriving Communities Conference will include a series of short video documentaries on the work of common people—grassroots activists—doing uncommon work for the common good. We also urge you to bring your own videos, stories, or slides that demonstrate living models of shelter that can serve as examples for others and implemented in their own communities.

We will include toolbox sessions: lessons in how to implement change, from those who have started something new. Every organization featured in this year’s videos will be represented by in-person delegates, with team members sharing the challenges and opportunities they encountered in their work.

Who should come?

All ages are welcome and represented in this work, and members of every community are welcome. We have worked with communities of all types and sizes. We encourage you to bring at least one other member of your own community. Conversation continues more fruitfully at home if two or more have shared the conference experience. We encourage government officials, public representatives, and community activists to attend!

Why should you attend?

Shelter is an issue that is not going away. Each of us is touched by the challenges of shelter, and we can do something about it! Meet those who have done something, and continue in their life-changing work!

We will gather as active participants to share ideas both big and small. As a testimony to the success of this model, over thirty communities have already exchanged and implemented ideas from previous Thriving Communities gatherings. Mark your calendar for March 19-21, 2015!

There are many ways to stay in touch—before, during, and after the conference! Visit our Thriving Communities page for information regarding the 2012, 2013, and 2014 conferences; photos and videos and more on the history of this movement and our community of collaborators. We also are on Facebook. Join the conversation by asking to be added to the Thriving Communities group, where you can share your own news and updates, and by liking our page.

The event will be from 4pm on March 19 - 4pm on March 21, 2015.

We welcome you to our 4th annual Thriving Communities Conference!

Whidbey Audubon Birding in the Neighborhoods - South Whidbey

The trips are every other Thursday and the meeting time and place varies with the season. If you would like to be notified of the  events, contact Phyllis Kind via the Whidbey Audubon site.  No experience necessary.  Dress for the weather.  Carpool when possible.  This is a Whidbey Audubon Society sponsored event.

Help us keep our beaches clean and keep harmful debris out of our marine habitat.  This is a WSU Island County Extension sponsored program.

A note from Stinger Anderson, Community Beach Cleanup Coordinator:

“Well, we have reached the end of yet another year. Overall, our beaches are looking pretty good.  Double Bluff, Joseph Whidbey, Deception Pass and the Camano Island State Parks all stay relatively clean these days.  The exceptions are the beaches around the Keystone Ferry- Fort Casey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Reserve and especially the Keystone Spit beaches.  On our last visit to Keystone Spit East the last Friday in December, twelve of us collected 240 pounds of litter in two hours.  And, we barely put a dent in the vast amount that has washed ashore from winter storms.

Thank you all for your help and support over 2014.  This program depends on people like you.

I’ll see you on the beach!

Please contact Stinger prior to attending a beach cleanup to let him know to expect you, preferably at least two days before. This will insure you know where to meet and that, if there is an emergency change or cancellation in the schedule, he can then notify you.

• Bags, gloves, and other equipment will be provided.
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over sand, cobble, and driftwood.
• Schedule can change due to adverse weather conditions.
• A one day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass. 
• Only Adults, 18 or older, may participate in these organized beach cleanups

Help us keep our beaches clean and keep harmful debris out of our marine habitat.  This is a WSU Island County Extension sponsored program.

A note from Stinger Anderson, Community Beach Cleanup Coordinator:

“Well, we have reached the end of yet another year. Overall, our beaches are looking pretty good.  Double Bluff, Joseph Whidbey, Deception Pass and the Camano Island State Parks all stay relatively clean these days.  The exceptions are the beaches around the Keystone Ferry- Fort Casey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Reserve and especially the Keystone Spit beaches.  On our last visit to Keystone Spit East the last Friday in December, twelve of us collected 240 pounds of litter in two hours.  And, we barely put a dent in the vast amount that has washed ashore from winter storms.

Thank you all for your help and support over 2014.  This program depends on people like you.

I’ll see you on the beach!

Please contact Stinger prior to attending a beach cleanup to let him know to expect you, preferably at least two days before. This will insure you know where to meet and that, if there is an emergency change or cancellation in the schedule, he can then notify you.

• Bags, gloves, and other equipment will be provided.
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over sand, cobble, and driftwood.
• Schedule can change due to adverse weather conditions.
• A one day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass. 
• Only Adults, 18 or older, may participate in these organized beach cleanups

Help us keep our beaches clean and keep harmful debris out of our marine habitat.  This is a WSU Island County Extension sponsored program.

A note from Stinger Anderson, Community Beach Cleanup Coordinator:

“Well, we have reached the end of yet another year. Overall, our beaches are looking pretty good.  Double Bluff, Joseph Whidbey, Deception Pass and the Camano Island State Parks all stay relatively clean these days.  The exceptions are the beaches around the Keystone Ferry- Fort Casey State Park, Ebey’s Landing National Reserve and especially the Keystone Spit beaches.  On our last visit to Keystone Spit East the last Friday in December, twelve of us collected 240 pounds of litter in two hours.  And, we barely put a dent in the vast amount that has washed ashore from winter storms.

Thank you all for your help and support over 2014.  This program depends on people like you.

I’ll see you on the beach!

Please contact Stinger prior to attending a beach cleanup to let him know to expect you, preferably at least two days before. This will insure you know where to meet and that, if there is an emergency change or cancellation in the schedule, he can then notify you.

• Bags, gloves, and other equipment will be provided.
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and footwear for walking over sand, cobble, and driftwood.
• Schedule can change due to adverse weather conditions.
• A one day volunteer park access pass is available for volunteers who do not have a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass. 
• Only Adults, 18 or older, may participate in these organized beach cleanups

At the Academy, students learn climate justice & science, how to plant a tree, how to give a climate presentation, and make plans with the other ambassadors to engage the community on climate solutions.

Parents are invited to come celebrate the end of the day with a graduation program led by the new Ambassadors for Climate Justice. Learn more, watch "Now We Children Save the World" on youtube.

This event is open to students Ages 8 - 14 and it includes free lunch, dinner and a t-shirt.

To register for this event, go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054aaba723ab9-whidbey1

Whidbey Audubon Birding in the Neighborhoods - South Whidbey

The trips are every other Thursday and the meeting time and place varies with the season. If you would like to be notified of the  events, contact Phyllis Kind via the Whidbey Audubon site.  No experience necessary.  Dress for the weather.  Carpool when possible.  This is a Whidbey Audubon Society sponsored event.

Septic 101 & 201 Training, 6-8pm Monday, April 13

Rolling Hills Clubhouse, Oak Harbor

Learn how to take care of your septic system from what goes down the drain inside, to protecting your drain field outside. Regular inspections are required. For $25 get certified to inspect your own gravity or pressure septic system.

Register at www.islandcountyseptictraining.com or 360-678-7914.