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With the threat of global warming and the nation brooding over a perceived economic recession, expect to see many opportunities to pay homage to the earth as Kitsap County continues its tradition of activities held throughout the month.
From Stillwaters Ecofest in Kingston, cleanups along the shores of Liberty Bay, parades and festivals from Bainbridge Island to South Kitsap to Evergreen Park in Bremerton, to the annual Sinclair Inlet Cleanup — Kitsap knows how to bring out the GREEN in all of us.
Kitsap Trees & Shoreline Association (KiTSA) will hold its 18th Annual Cleanup on Saturday April 19, 2008 from 11 am to 2 pm. Meeting Locations are the Annapolis Ferry Dock Area for the Port Orchard Cleanup, and the Downtown Bremerton Cleanup meets near the Boardwalk Pump House. From 1990-2007 volunteers have removed 592 cubic yards of trash from the Sinclair Inlet Watershed. KiTSA celebrates its second official anniversary this Earth Day, April 22, after several years of service under the three original groups that now comprise this 501 C (3) non-profit environmental organization.
KiTSA recently sponsored the production of “Forest Trails and Critter Tales,” a presentation designed primarily for classrooms but one that can be enjoyed by all ages. This nature video showcases our region’s forested acreage and the amazing variety of plants and animals that depend on these valued habitats. The feature shows how we human residents share our county not only with giant trees that date back hundreds of years, but with wildlife species ranging from eagles to elk, bears to bobcats, salmon to sapsuckers. Students learn how the forest world is a complex ecosystem consisting of trees that buffer the earth and support our wild creatures.
The video features Jim Trainer, a nationally known Community Forester. He has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as the only forester in the country to win both Tree Line USA and Tree City USA awards. He is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist and a founding member of KiTSA. He presently owns and operates Treez, Inc. in Bremerton.
The video can be ordered off the group’s website at www.KITSA.net where you can also learn more about current events including the upcoming Sinclair Cleanup.
Washington State Senator Phil Rockefeller was named Legislator of the Year for his outstanding environmental leadership during the 2007 legislative session by the Washington Conservation Voters (WCV). Rockefeller (D-Bainbridge Island) represents the 23rd District, which includes Bainbridge Island, Keyport, Poulsbo, Kingston, Hansville, Silverdale, and most of East Bremerton.
Undoubtedly the architect of the Save Our Sound bill that passed the House and Senate, Rockefeller was instrumental in creating the Puget Sound Partnership, an agency that will ensure Washington has a plan to save the Puget Sound by 2020.
“When Puget Sound needed a champion, Senator Rockefeller stepped up and made it a priority,” said Kurt Fritts, Executive Director for the WCV.
Rockefeller chairs the Water, Energy & Telecommunications Committee, and is a member of both the Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee (formerly vice chair) and the Ways & Means Committee as well as the assistant majority floor leader. As a member of the Ways & Means,he ensured the funding of the Save Our Sound provisions.
Making history this session, three of the four Priorities for a Healthy Washington passed through the Water, Energy & Telecommunications Committee before receiving floor votes. Rockefeller’s role as vice chair of this powerful committee allowed him to shepherd these three priorities through the committee whereby all four priorities passed out of the Legislature in 2007.
In addition to protecting Puget Sound, Rockefeller was instrumental in passing the Clean Air/Clean Fuels priority and banning toxic flame retardants (PBDEs), and was a strong voice for the environment during legislative negotiations on exempting agriculture land from critical area ordinances. He also sits on the National Conference of State Legislatures Clean Energy and Air Quality Working Group.
“The environment enjoyed unprecedented success this year in Olympia,” said Fritts, “and Senator Rockefeller was the reason for these achievements.”
Rockefeller received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Harvard. Before winning election to the legislature, he was education aide to Gov. John Spellman and Regional Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Education. In a district defined by its unique geography and quality of life, he has advocated for clean air and water, as well as quality jobs, schools and health care.
This month the U.S. EPA sponsored a “Show Us Your Best Photo for Earth Day” contest. For more information, contact Jeffrey Levy, at 202-564-4355 or levy.jeffrey@epa.gov.
Has your community organization cleaned up a stream? Have you enjoyed a day in the woods? Has a wild animal ever sparked your imagination? The EPA wants to see how you would show their mission to protect human health and the environment and will judge photos in three categories:
- Enjoying the environment;
- Protecting the environment; and
- Nature and wildlife.
Entries were due March 24. The contest will be hosted on the photo sharing site Flickr.com and will run as follows:
- April 1: Finalists announced, public voting for winners begins
- April 15: voting ends
- April 22 (Earth Day): winners announced
Finalist and winning photos will be featured on EPA’s Web site. Full details about the contest, are at www.epa.gov/earthday/photocontest.
Mike Shepherd, in EPA’s Ground Water Unit of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement and Brownfields, is retiring this month. He is presently EPA’s Indian Lands Team Leader for UST/LUST program and works in other areas pertaining to cleanups.
In an email invitation for his farewell party in Seattle on April 8, the planning committee wrote, “Mike is larger-than-life... and we hope his party will, as Nike put it, ‘Be like Mike’.”
Mike, we look forward to seeing a lot more of you around Bremerton!
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