Celebrate Trees! Earth Month Bainbridge Island

It is with a very heavy heart that I must share that our dearest Bainbridge Island Lorax and Champion of Trees around the world, Dr. Olaf Ribeiro, passed away on August 4, 2024.  He taught so many of us about the fabulous fungi and trees around us and helped protect and save so many trees, not just on Bainbridge Island but around the world. His incredible intelligence and tenaciousness spared many a tree the chainsaw!  His engaging stories, endearing smile, and infectious laugh will be dearly missed.  For those of you who may not already know, Olaf truly was the inspiration for our annual event Celebrate Trees! Earth Month Bainbridge Island.  He approached the Sustainable Bainbridge Board and asked why we, as a community, did not do anything significant to celebrate Arbor Day and Earth Day.  Thus, this full month celebration, incorporating activities and events to honor both, was born.  And we have been doing it every year since thanks to your incredible dedication. individually and through your organizations.  For that, I am incredibly thankful. ~Christine Perkins, Earth Month chair

To more deeply understand the impact of  Olaf’s work with and passion for trees, please read these two moving past tributes from islanders Barb Trafton and Christina Woolf.

---

The goal of Celebrate Trees! Earth Month Bainbridge Island is to raise awareness of and encourage involvement in Arbor Day and Earth Day events and to inspire everyone to protect our trees, our environment, and our planet all month and throughout the year.

2024 Earth Month Activities

Earth care book displays, April 1-30, at the Bainbridge Public Library and Eagle Harbor Books – Learn more about individual and systemic actions that are restorative to a healthy planet by perusing and perhaps borrowing or buying books from the displays at the library and bookstore. Or download this eclectic list of Earth Month books compiled by BPL’s fantastic librarians.

Sock recycling, April 1-30, at Bay Hay and Feed – Bring clean socks only of any brand, color, size and material. No rolled or paired socks, bags, rubber bands, or paper clips (just single socks). Smartwool is sponsoring this program. Merino wool socks are preferred, as they will be turned back into new wool socks by Material Return (watch video here). Other kinds will be repurposed as insulation.

Prevent Food Waste display, April 1-15, Bainbridge Public Library – Food tossed in the trash is one of the biggest causes of methane emissions from landfills. Check out the lobby display case created by Kitsap Solid Waste for tips on making food last and using it up before it goes bad.

Attract Predatory Insects to Protect Your Garden, Tuesday, April 2, 6:30-8 pm on Zoom – Meet the many insects that protect your garden from pests. Learn to build their populations so they’re ready to go to work when pests arrive. Attend this Veg Club Zoom session at https://krl.zoom.us/j/85709916119 . Free, no registration required. Produced by Bainbridge Prepares & the Bainbridge branch of Kitsap Regional Library. Email Carol@hawkapp.com with questions or to get on the class reminder and news list.

First Wednesday Work Party, Wednesday, April 3, 9–11am, at Springbrook Creek Preserve – Join the Land Trust for a morning of removing invasive Scotch broom at the soon-to-be open Springbrook Creek Preserve! Please register online.

Something to Talk about: Earth Month on Bainbridge, Wednesday, April 3, 1:30-2:00pm via Zoom – Reed Price at the BI Senior Community Center hosts this twice-a-week podcast. Today we focus on our community’s Earth Month activities. Come and learn all about them at this Zoom link.

Mending Meet-up, Saturday, April 6, 5-7pm, Esther’s Fabrics – Join Allison every other Saturday for a mending help night. Using techniques inspired by one of our favorite books, Visible Mending, Allison will help get you started on your way to being a mending maven. Different handstitching or sewing machines techniques will be taught. You can do it her way to make your mends fully visible or use her techniques to make mends that are a little less seen. Register here.

First Friday Art Walk, Friday, April 5, 6-8pm – Stop in at the Windermere Realty Office, 249 Winslow Way, to see a display of repurposed and upcycled clothing designs and other artwork. Live models on Friday, and static displays the rest of the month.

Afternoon on the Trails, Sunday, April 7, 1 pm – 5 pm, at IslandWood Campus – IslandWood’s trail systems will be open for a family-friendly, self-guided exploration. Hike leisurely down the Spine Trail and traverse the ravine on a suspension bridge. We’ll have maps for you so you can find your way around and will be happy to suggest a route that is suitable for your family and abilities. If you’ve come before, we welcome you back again. There is always something new to see every season! Get your tickets here!

Red Pine Park Work Party, Tuesday, April 9, 10am-noon, at Red Pine Park – Work with the Park District’s horticulture staff and the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation to maintain garden beds, a historic fruit orchard, edible perennials, and other historic plantings in this former homestead in the heart of downtown. Please RSVP here.

Breakfast with the Birds, Friday, April 12, 7 am – 9 am, at IslandWood Campus – Join us for a fresh selection of bagels, spreads, coffee, tea & juice, lox, vegetarian proteins, and breakfast wraps to fuel us for the morning ahead on the trails. Bellies full, and binoculars in hand, we’ll hit the trails intently looking and listening for as many species as we can identify. IslandWood’s 250-acre property contains several unique ecosystems including a freshwater pond, cattail marsh, sphagnum bog, a ravine, and conifer forests that boast several species of woodpeckers! This event is well suited for people 10+. Bring your own binoculars (and we will also have some to share as well). Get your tickets here. Make sure to double check which of the three dates you want to attend.

Conservation Work Party, Saturday, April 13, 10am-noon, at Battle Point Park – Join the Park District and our partners this Earth Month caring for the trees of Battle Point Park. Volunteers will meet at the Duck Pond to spread mulch for tree and soil health and pull invasive weeds like ivy and Scotch broom. Well suited for children ages six and up who are comfortable using some tools and walking off trail on uneven surfaces. Please RSVP here.

Geology Rocks, Sunday, April 14, 2 pm – 3:30 pm, at IslandWood – John Cornish is a mineral and fossil educator who passionately shares his love of the Earth Sciences through his energetic, family-friendly, Geology ROCKS! program. Come join John and be prepared to smile, laugh, and be fascinated as we learn more about the natural treasures awaiting discovery here in the Pacific Northwest. This educational presentation is truly for all-ages. John’s displays of minerals, gems and fossils are as jaw-dropping as his enthusiasm for the science of discovery. Get your tickets here.

Forest Restoration Work Party, Sunday, April 14, 1-3pm, at Strawberry Plant Park – Join Weed Warriors to remove invasive weeds and spread mulch at 240 Weaver Rd. NW on Eagle Harbor. Bring shovels, gloves, hand tools, and a wheelbarrow if you can, but we have extras. It’s Earth Month and Native Plant Appreciation month. Contact Jeannette Franks if you have questions.

And It Has Pockets: Sunday, April 14, 3-4:30pm, at BARN – ReFashion Bainbridge asks, What do pockets have to do with sustainability? Well, most clothes are thrown out after just a few wearings. Wouldn’t you keep clothing longer if it were more useful and practical? Don’t you get frustrated when your pants don’t even have a place for your keys? Diane Johnston, a clothing historian and speaker sponsored by Humanities Washington, will be telling us about the fascinating history of pockets in women’s clothing. Sign up here.

Car Seat Recycling, April 14-April 27, at Target stores – Target will accept and recycle all types of car seats, including infant car seats, convertible car seats, car seat bases, harness or booster car seats, as well as car seats that are expired or damaged. Bonus: 20% off toward a new car seat, car seat base, travel system, stroller or select baby home gear. Details here.

Moritani Preserve Work Party, Thursday, April 18, 10am-noon, at Moritani Preserve – Join the Park District’s Natural Resources team and the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation in caring for the woods and meadows of Moritani Preserve by managing invasive species, maintaining garden beds, and planting natives when the weather is right. Please RSVP here.

Breakfast with the Birds, Friday, April 19, 7 am – 9 am, at IslandWood Campus – Join us for a fresh selection of bagels, spreads, coffee, tea & juice, lox, vegetarian proteins, and breakfast wraps to fuel us for the morning ahead on the trails. Bellies full, and binoculars in hand, we’ll hit the trails intently looking and listening for as many species as we can identify. IslandWood’s 250-acre property contains several unique ecosystems including a freshwater pond, cattail marsh, sphagnum bog, a ravine, and conifer forests that boast several species of woodpeckers! This event is well suited for people 10+. Bring your own binoculars (and we will also have some to share as well). Get your tickets here. Make sure to double check which of the three dates you want to attend.

Trails Work Party, Saturday, April 20, 10am-noon, at Battle Point Park – Join the Park District and our partners this Earth Month improving the trails at Battle Point Park. Projects could include spreading chips on trail surfacing, improving drainage, or pruning back the spring flush. These work parties are well suited for children ages eight and up who are comfortable using some tools and walking a mile or so throughout the two-hour work party. Please RSVP here.

Mending Meet-up, Saturday, April 20, 5-7pm, Esther’s Fabrics – Join Allison every other Saturday for a mending help night. Using techniques inspired by one of our favorite books, Visible Mending, Allison will help get you started on your way to being a mending maven. Different handstitching or sewing machines techniques will be taught. You can do it her way to make your mends fully visible or use her techniques to make mends that are a little less seen. Register here.

Free Invasive Weed Disposal, Sunday, April 21, 10am-4pm, at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Land Trust is hosting its annual Free Invasive Weed Disposal days the last two Sundays in April! Bring your invasive weeds to the Transfer Station and we’ll cover the cost of disposal. Please do not mix in non-invasive yard waste. To learn more about which plants are accepted, and to register to volunteer, go here.

Public Site Tour, Sunday, April 21, 1 pm – 4 pm, at IslandWood – A volunteer docent will lead this free three-hour walk through our ecologically diverse campus, including a cattail marsh, pond, forest, and ravine, as well as field structures such as a suspension bridge and tree house. In addition to natural history, you will learn about our educational programs and the sustainable design of our buildings. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. This tour is for adults and teens 15+. Get your tickets here.

ON EARTH DAY: Movie “Common Ground,” Monday, April 22, 7pm, at the Lynwood Theater – This feature-length film uncovers the dark web of money, power and politics behind our broken food system. It also proposes some uplifting solutions based on regenerative farming practices, with a healthy dose of lobbying our government to move away from the traditional farm bill subsidies and toward incentivizing local farming in order to support a healthier approach…for us and the environment. Afterward there will be a Q&A with a panel of local farmers, a health specialist and perhaps a climate scientist. Tickets are available here.

Superpowers of Our Parks and Trails, Thursday, April 25, 7-9pm, at Bainbridge High School Theater – Join Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation and Bainbridge Youth Services as Dr. Howard Frumkin (UW, Trust for Public Land) presents the latest research on human health, parks, and trails, and what the compelling link between parks & wellness can mean for your family’s lifestyle. Learn more and consider what this means for lifestyle choices, broader policies and explore ideas to integrate time for parks and trails into our busy lives. Register here.

Breakfast with the Birds, Friday, April 26, 7 am – 9 am, at IslandWood Campus – Join us for a fresh selection of bagels, spreads, coffee, tea & juice, lox, vegetarian proteins, and breakfast wraps to fuel us for the morning ahead on the trails. Bellies full, and binoculars in hand, we’ll hit the trails intently looking and listening for as many species as we can identify. IslandWood’s 250-acre property contains several unique ecosystems including a freshwater pond, cattail marsh, sphagnum bog, a ravine, and conifer forests that boast several species of woodpeckers! This event is well suited for people 10+. Bring your own binoculars (and we will also have some to share as well). Get your tickets here. Make sure to double check which of the three dates you want to attend.

City Nature Challenge, April 26-29 – IslandWood and the Bainbridge Island Land Trust are leading Kitsap County in participating in the 2024 City Nature Challenge, a nature observation event using the iNaturalist app. It takes place in two parts:  April 26 – 29: Observe — take and upload pictures of wild plants and animals; April 30 – May 5: Upload the observations and identify them. Use iNaturalist to make and share observations of wild plants, animals and fungi anywhere in Kitsap County. Learn more here.

Earth Expo: Kid-friendly booths and volunteer projects, Saturday, April 27, 10am-2pm, at Battle Point Park – Join the Park District and partners at our annual Earth Day Expo. There will be live music, food, and community booths with kid-focused, earth-friendly activities. Volunteer projects will be available throughout the whole event — work as long as you like and then enjoy the rest of the festivities! Volunteers will spread mulch for tree and soil health. Well-suited for children ages six and up who are comfortable using some tools and walking off trail on uneven surfaces. Please RSVP here.

Styrofoam Recycling Collection, Saturday, April 27, 10am-3pm, at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds – This is the only Styro recycling event for the year being hosted by Kitsap Solid Waste. Go here to see what is accepted and where specifically to enter the fairgrounds.

Shred Event, Saturday, April 27, 10am-1pm, Windermere Bainbridge – Shred event paper will be recycled.

Free Invasive Weed Disposal, Sunday, April 28, 10am-4pm, at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Land Trust is hosting its annual Free Invasive Weed Disposal days the last two Sundays in April! Bring your invasive weeds to the Transfer Station and we’ll cover the cost of disposal. Please do not mix in non-invasive yard waste. To learn more about which plants are accepted, and to register to volunteer, go here.

Sock Darning Workshop, Tuesday, April 30, 1-2:30pm, at La Mercerie – ReFashion Bainbridge invites you to join experienced knitter Ann Cook to celebrate Earth Month by extending the life of your clothing. Learn simple techniques and tools to fix your socks and other knits to make them last longer. (Note: Darns are generally visible.)  No knitting experience is necessary. Feel free to bring your holey socks, or any knit with a “hole” that needs to be filled (rather than a tear that you would just sew together).  Register here. If you have questions, please contact Ann.   La Mercerie is located at 118 Madrone Lane, where Churchmouse formerly was.

Gardening for Birds and Pollinators, Saturday, May 25, 2–4pm, Prue’s House – The Bainbridge Island Land Trust is hosting native plant landscape designer Anna Thurston for a demonstration and workshop on critical landscape activities for the benefit of birds and pollinators. Please register online.

Special Earth Month activities are highlighted below in the
Senior Community Center’s Something to Talk about podcast from April 3, 2024.

Take your own cup anytime, anywhere, as the video below encourages.

Anytime Activities

Drink Like You Live Here – Take your reusable cup when you drink out. Click on the video above.

Earth Month Bingo – Easy actions you can take that add up when you make them a habit. Play by yourself or as a family. Print your own board here.

Tree tour – Take a self-guided tour of remarkable tree specimens mostly in downtown Winslow. Go to the Bainbridge Island Tree Tour page to find out how to locate the trees and learn about them.

Nominate a tree – The city has a Heritage Tree Register. If you know of a tree that is especially interesting or exceptional, be it on public or private land, consider nominating it for the register. (If on private property, the owner must consent to the nomination.) Criteria for qualifying trees and the nomination form are found here.

At-home science activities for the outdoors – IslandWood has created a number of activities, songs, and exercises adaptable to any age to help inspire students to explore their own neighborhoods and communities while strengthening observation and investigation skills and deepening ecological knowledge. Check them out here.

Invasive species reporting – Get the invasives species app to help alert state officials to the next sighting of the murder hornet sighting or sprouting of daphne laureola and build their database of invasive flora and fauna.

Citizen Science: Carnivores! – Contribute your sightings to the Woodland Park Zoo’s urban carnivore spotter project, which aims to support communities in facilitating solutions to achieve positive coexistence with carnivores.

Global Amphibian Bioblitz – Seen a salamander lately? How about a spring peeper? Here’s another citizen science opportunity to record your sightings by using iNaturalist. Adding your observations will help researchers, conservationists and concerned global citizens to share information and move forward actions that conserve these incredible creatures for everyone. Read about the Bainbridge Island citizen science newt project here.

Litter pick-up – A year-round activity! If you would like to borrow grabbers for a group cleanup, please email Zero Waste. If you want to get serious about regular pick-ups, consider joining the County’s Adopt-a-Spot program. (Note: Currently the County has suspended new program enrollees from any of the county’s cities, including Bainbridge Island, until an updated interlocal agreement has been signed.)

Children’s Earth Day Books – Check out this blog page for suggestions.

Earth Day Network – Check out this page for how to take civic, community and individual actions. The Earth Day Network makes it easier for students who want to advocate for change (e.g., getting a pollinator garden, setting up a compost system, making sports sustainable) by offering advocacy packets.

************************************

Click here for Earth Month Bingo

to help make every day Earth Day !

************************************