A new group with a year-long vision to address Single Use Plastic on Vashon.

Members include Nancy O'Connor, Tania Kinnear, Donna Klemka and Celia Congdon (fearless leader). Help is needed~they have big plans to address single use plastic on the island.
FIRST AREA OF FOCUS: single use beverage cups and bottles! BYO cups at coffee shops, the movie theater and anywhere else that uses disposable cups."

Contact CongdonCelia@gmail.com

Environmental champions - want to get the word out about the great work your group is doing to improve the eco on Vashon-Maury islands?  Consider joining an upcoming “Small Talk” episode on Voice of Vashon 101.9 FM, Tuesdays at 11AM!

 Small Talk is a 10 - 15 minute segment on The Brown Briefly, a live talk show which guests join via Zoom. Truman O’Brien, Bruce Haulman, Indivisible Vashon’s Kevin Jones and Craig Beles want to talk with guests like you!

To schedule contact kevinjonvash@gmail.com

 Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo) works to conserve endangered species and tropical forests on the Tompotika peninsula in Sulawesi, Indonesia while supporting the dignity, self-sufficiency, and sustainability of the communities that live there. 

In the past few months our team organized an expedition into the Heart of Tompotika tropical forest to document biodiversity and sustainable traditional uses of threatened tropical forests with a view towards creating a new protected area. We also marked a new world record for the recovering critically endangered maleo bird at our nesting site, and distributed reading glasses to our community partners. Read more here.

Contact: Marcy Summers Email: marcy@tompotika.org

Join us to hit the ground running in 2023, for wild salmon, orca and a free-flowing Snake River!
1. We had a Youth-led march and rally in Olympia for salmon conservation and climate, Friday Jan 13th. Info here.
2. Training at Backbone Warehouse, Saturday, Jan 7 on how to use the salmon and orca inflatables and LED banners, to prep for the 13th, and other upcoming actions, on Vashon Island. All welcome. Contact us for future trainings --RSVP HERE
3. Karen in Seattle organizes a Banner Action each week over I-5, in the afternoon. If you want to join, contact us and we'll put you in touch!
4. We have banners in Spokane, Olympia, Wenatchee, Portland, and many other locations.  If you want to organize a small crew to banner for wild salmon and orca, let us know.  Just 3 people can reach up to 10k people in 1 hour at rush hour!
Click HERE for resources to take action on House Bill 1125. Contact Legislators today, reminding them of the urgency for restoring endangered salmon and building resilient SE Washington communities.

Contact Amy Morrison

Amy@backbonecampaign.org

CELEBRATORY NEWS!  Our advocacy for cleaner buildings, currently our fastest growing source of climate pollution, is paying climate dividends.  The Washington State Building Code Council just approved requiring high efficiency heat pumps for space and water heating in new residential buildings across the state!  This drives our transition to safe and healthy homes that run on 100% clean electricity instead of super polluting methane gas.  It also makes Washington’s statewide building codes among the most climate friendly in the nation. Learn more about our work, including a new initiative to define Vashon-Maury Island’s environment / climate agenda.  Email kevin@vashonclimateaction.org.

Lotta Gavel Adams (VashonFruitClub@gmail.com)
It's About Time to Prune Your Fruit Trees!
Vashon Island Fruit Club, was formed in 2004 by the late Dr. Bob Norton with a group of dedicated fruit growers. Our quarterly meetings, programs, orchard tours and workshops are open to all members. We are a chapter of the Western Cascade Fruit Society. Our club is open to all skill levels of orchardists who wish to further their fruit growing knowledge for the Pacific Northwest climate. Our goal is to provide home growers and professionals with learning experiences appropriate to our climate and soil conditions. The club accomplishes this through our quarterly meetings, programs, orchard tours and workshops. Sign up on our website.

Rebecca Goertzel, Principal (rgoertzel@vashonsd.org) 
At Chautauqua, our Green Team focused on educating our students about reducing waste during the holidays by wrapping presents using cloth or other recycled items, such as using paper bags. The group of 30 fourth and fifth graders meet every other week and think of ways to educate our school community on ways to help our environment. We are always looking for volunteers during our  open garden times during recess, enabling students to enjoy our garden during their recess time. 

Michael Laurie (mlaurie@mindspring.com)
Garden Green is a non-profit offering free information on our website concerning pesticide risks and safe alternatives.  We have received grants to fund development of these educational materials; we have recently started adding stormwater management information.  Contact us if your property is connected to the Vashon Sewer District or in the headwaters of Shinglemill Creek; we may be able to offer free help.  We have worked with local retailers to encourage alternatives to toxic pesticides. Look for our green tags on the shelves of Island Lumber and Ace Hardware.  We focus on the Pacific Northwest, but many of our resources are useful globally. Garden Green also has a Facebook page.

Elsa Croonquist (elsacroonquist@vashonheritage.org)

Through 2023 the Vashon Heritage Museum will host Vashon 101, a series of conversations
about Vashon. We will explore our natural environment, our cultural heritage, and our relationships to this unique Island and the waters that surround it. Opportunities to ground yourself in this place we are lucky enough to call home. Vashon 101 will be offered via Zoom the second Thursday of the month from January to August. Up next:

March 9 - Binah McCloud (Puyallup) - Fishing War Survivor

April 13 - Dr. Bianca Perla - Contemporary Vashon Ecology

Sign up here: https://vashonheritagemuseum.org/vashon-101/