| From seas to trees, the KiTSA non-profit organization will promote environmental education advocacy and action. Borne from three groups that have been working collectively in the watershed for over 16 years, the group chose Earth Day, April 22, 2006 to make the organization official.
KiTSA’s primary mission is to improve Kitsap County communities by cultivating public awareness and appreciation of trees, foster community forestry programs, emphasizing development of educational programs for schools and training for the public, stimulating increased funding for acquisition and maintenance of new and existing trees and forests, promoting partnerships with private enterprise and residents in the preservation and management of urban trees and forests, and for the enhancement and protection of habitat and water quality.
“I just felt it was time and what better day for our mission than Earth Day to commemorate the incorporation,” said founding board member and Bremerton City Councilman Mike Shepherd, a community and environmental advocate.
The group’s incorporator, Donald Larson, has been organizing biannual shoreline and underwater cleanups of Sinclair Inlet for over 16 years on behalf of the Kitsap Diving Association, one of the three entities making up the new group. Larson was recently honored by the Department of Ecology with its highest environmental award for his multi-faceted leadership to clean up and protect the environment in the Sinclair-Dyes inlet watershed and throughout Kitsap County.
Larson received the Environmental Excellence Award during an April 10 meeting of the Kitsap County commission. An avid SCUBA diver, Larson takes special interest in protecting Puget Sound’s spectacular and fragile habitat resources and has played active roles establishing and protecting marine parks and protected areas.
“Don Larson has shown tremendous energy and dedication to protecting water quality by spearheading exciting initiatives on land, on water and under water,” said Jeannie Summerhays, Ecology’s regional director, who presented the award. “His hard work and powerful advocacy greatly advance the cooperative public and private efforts to improve water quality in western Puget Sound.”
The first Board of Directors consists of five members. In addition to Shepherd and Larson, the board includes Jim Trainer, community forester and owner of Treez Inc, John Allen of Port Orchard, Nuclear Engineer and small business owner, and Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes of Grant-Solutions. |
