 Outside the wind was howling, bending the treetops. Dark clouds rushed across Ebey’s Prairie. Rain dampened the pavement, pelted the windows and sent people scurrying. Inside, the room was buzzing with dozens of displays and lively conversations. It was noon at the Coupeville Middle School during the 32nd annual Sound Waters University and it was sold out, as usual. After the covid years when we all avoided large gatherings, we were finally back in full force. It’s like a family reunion, so many old friends. Staffing the table for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust I met a few new people and saw many familiar faces from a career as an environmental educator, and a volunteer for several organizations. I saw Sego Jackson who’d worked in waste reduction and was now our local biochar expert. There was Heather from the Conservation District who gave me a pamphlet about our native pollinators. Kelly Zupich, from the Shore Friendly program, helps people remove bulkheads and restore waterfront properties. Tabitha, Cassie and Don were at the State Park display urging people to get specialty license plates that help raise money for environmental programs. Lee, Bob and Laina were at the Whidbey Watershed Stewards booth gearing up for another season of outdoor lessons for students. The Suva crew shared stories of sailing the historic ship out in Penn Cove. Sara and Heather, the WSU Waste Wise team, were helping to reduce the amount of waste from this conference and your own household. Friends were passing by between sessions, eyes wide with amazement. One had heard about the boom and bust of sea otter populations on the Pacific Northwest coast. Another had learned how you can find the age of a salmon by counting the rings in its ear bones. Someone told me about a session on butterflies. The day was full of new discoveries and better understanding of our Salish Sea. And the networking, meeting like-minded folks, professionals, volunteers, making connections, and exchanging ideas. Sparks were flying. There were whale watchers, bird watchers, property protectors, scientists and environmental educators. I spoke with Melanie Bacon and Janet St. Clair, two of our three County Commissioners. If you’ve ever been, and you probably have, you know what a great winter conference it is. And there are more. Starting just after the holidays, there’s a parade of local conferences to educate and inspire. In January, there’s Storming the Sound in La Connor put on by the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators. Then there’s the Way of the Whales in Coupeville, with the Orca Network. Sound Waters University is the first Saturday in February. On February 28th, in Stanwood, there’s the Snow Goose Festival in the historic Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center, with presentations, displays and shuttle buses to view the snow geese and trumpeter swans in the Skagit Valley. On March 7th and 8th the Mussel Fest in Coupeville will celebrate our local bivalve. Top chefs serve up mussels under giant tents. You can tour the mussel farm in Penn Cove, attend a mussel mingle and taste the chowder. Then the Whidbey Garden Workshop is on March 21st at Oak Harbor High School, put on by the Master Gardeners. It offers the motivation needed to get out into the garden to prepare for another wonderful year of growing veggies, fruit and flowers. The Penn Cove Water Festival erupts in downtown Coupeville on the second weekend in May. It’s an opportunity to connect with local tribes, hear music and storytelling, eat salmon, watch canoe races, visit arts and crafts booths and join in educational activities for kids. For those interested in birds, check out Wings over Whidbey in May at the Pacific Rim Institute just south of Coupeville, put on by the local Audubon Society. Did you notice the transition from indoor conferences to outdoor festivals? The summer will be full of outdoor concerts and dances, farmer’s markets, guided walks and park programs. But until then, this is how we make it through the winter, going from one conference to another, meeting old friends and collaborating with new ones. It keeps us connected with our community through the rainy winter and chilly spring. So, pull out your calendar and register in advance for your favorite gatherings. Stay engaged. Maribeth
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 I’ve been thinking about trees. Not forests, not species, but specific trees. Yesterday I came across a distinctive tree on the Trustland Trails. It grew up, and then down, and then up again, tying itself in knots. It got me thinking about other distinctive trees. My three favorites in South Whidbey State Park come to mind. One is just down the hill from the restroom in the old campground. It’s huge and twisted at the base in such a curious contortion that it’s eye catching. Then there’s the Hobbit tree, the big round maple near the road crossing that’s hollow inside. You can sit in it with a friend. And there’s the huge cedar where Janet took a picture of me and Nicole that ended up in Hiking Close to Home!    Walking in South Whidbey Community Park last week I found another tree that stopped me in my tracks. It probably started as a sapling growing out of a log. You can still see the rotting stump at the base. But the tree is crawling over the log horizontally and then climbing up toward the canopy.     Deception Pass State Park has some of the biggest trees. I got to climb into the canopy of a Doug Fir over 200 feet tall with Jack Hartt on my birthday years ago, with ropes and gear used by mountain climbers. The vehicles below looked like matchbox cars. The oldest tree that I know of on Whidbey Island is the gnarly, knotted fir on the Dunes Trail, over 800 years old. There’s a sign and a split rail fence asking people to give it space, but it’s so climbable, to many it is irresistible.  When I stop to admire a huge tree, I think about how old it might be and what the world was like when it was a wee sprout. The Coastal Salish were here. No doubt these trees sheltered elk and wolves centuries ago. Many wear the blackened bark of long-ago fires. Some might have witnessed the coming of early European or Russian explorers. The Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle was misnamed by Captain Vancouver. The trees he saw were actually Madrone. Oak Harbor was named for the Garry Oak trees that are found there. Garry Oaks are common on Vancouver Island. It’s believed that they were spread by the Salish people as they traveled south. The acorns provided a rich source of protein. Now the Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society promotes the spread of these magnificent trees to other parts of Whidbey Island. One huge Garry Oak by the Oak Harbor post office was cut down, an event that felt personal to many Oak Harbor residents. It’s great to see the Society protecting those they still have and sharing their acorns for restoration projects, like on the Whidbey Camano Land Trusts’ Keystone Preserve and at Pacific Rim Institute. People get attached to individual trees, forming a bond. An old oak behind my grandparents’ house held a tire swing. All my cousins and I played for hours on that swing. When a tornado blew that tree down, my uncle salvaged the wood. That Christmas, everyone in the family got a candlestick made from that old oak. Trees become members of the family. When they’re lost, we notice, we mourn.  Perhaps you’ve planted trees, at your own home, or in a protected preserve. It’s important to put the right tree in the right place. You don’t want to plant Sequoias in a small city lot. I like vine maples. They’re small and fit in at the edges of a forest, or in a small yard. Their leaves are brilliant in the fall. The one behind my house was planted long before I moved here. I really love it. I've propagated and planted a few more around the yard. Perhaps you’ve planted trees. Think about the good that trees can do for you and for future generations, for wildlife, for watersheds, for our warming planet. Studies show they make us feel better. Duh. If you haven’t ever planted a tree, but would like to, now is a good time to start. You know what they say; The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The next best time is now. Maribeth For details on planting trees at your home contact the Whidbey Island Conservation District here. For an opportunity to participate in planting trees and native plants at the Keystone Preserve, visit the Whidbey Camano Land Trust here. Find out more about the Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society click here.  |
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