Good island stewards noted…real heroes making life in the islands sustainable…

Bullock Brothers Permaculture Homestead on Orcas received the Farmland Stewardship Award

The second Sustainable San Juans day was held this past weekend, and by all accounts it went pretty well. Part of the event was the naming of winners of the eight Good Stewardship Awards to folks in the county who are making a difference in keeping the way we do things sustainable…real heroes making sure we have beautiful & bountiful islands today, and tomorrow for the generations to come. Liz Illg sends more about the winners:

Stewardship Award Winners Announced: Eight Good Stewardship awards were presented at “Sustainable San Juans: Greening Your Home, Business and Food”, an Earthday event held Saturday in Friday Harbor. The awards were part of a three day celebration of environmental stewardship sponsored by the San Juan Stewardship Network and the San Juan Island Community Foundation.

Julian Glasser

The Youth Stewardship Award was given to Julian Glasser, a senior at Orcas High School.  Julian has been a vanguard of promoting bicycle commuting in his community by cycling the 16-mile round trip commute from his home in Olga to Orcas High School.  When he first began doing this, he was the only student to arrive at the high school by bike…now there are numerous students who commute to school that way. He is currently building bike racks for the community to use, and has created a community BikeShare program, rebuilding several bikes for that effort.  Julian was a member of the high school Farm Education and Sustainability for Teens (FEAST) class.  He also pioneered the recycling program at Orcas High School four years ago, single-handedly taking responsibility for recycling every Friday until the program got off the ground.  Last year, he converted a diesel-powered Mercedes into one which ran on vegetable oil he obtained from The Thai Sisters restaurant in Eastsound, and he is currently serving as the President of the Ecology Club.

Dr. Eugene Kazloff

The Educator Stewardship was presented in absentia to Dr. Eugene Kozloff, Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington Department of Biology, and former associate director and continuing researcher at the UW’s Friday Harbor Labs. Dr. Kozloff is the author of seven books including Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast, Plants and Animals of the Pacific Northwest, and Plants of Western Oregon, Washington & British Columbia; his most recent title was published at the age of 84. Dr. Kozloff is respected and beloved for his keen wit, warm charm, and encyclopedic knowledge of our regional environments. Students of all ages flock to his courses and lectures, coming away with an understanding grounded in clearly interpreted science.  His passion for introducing others to the wonders of Northwest plant and animal life by teaching classes on the land (or in the lab) has made him dear to the hearts of many.

Jack Giard

The Business Stewardship Award went to Lopez 4-Way Reefnet and Jack and Joan Giard, owners for over 40 years.  Reefnet fishing is the most selective of the commercial fishing techniques and allows salmon stocks of conservation concern as well as other bycatch to be returned with zero mortality. Lopez 4-Way Reefnet was selected for this award as they have shown reverence not only for the salmon that they are catching, but for the greater marine environment as well.  They have demonstrated to us all that sometimes the best way of doing things… is the old way of doing things. Jack serves on the Marine Resources Committee and is a quintessential resource on all things salmon.

Peter Fisher

The Individual Stewardship Award was given to Peter Fisher of Orcas Island. For many years, Peter has worked tirelessly on stewardship projects throughout San Juan County.  He is a man of many accomplishments and has demonstrated his exceptional leadership qualities in a variety of projects. He served as one of the leaders in the effort to preserve Madrona Point on Orcas.  Developing an idea from research in other areas of the country, Peter played in instrumental role in the formation of the San Juan County Land Bank.  He was also one of the founders of the OPAL Community Land Trust, which he still supports actively. More recently, Peter founded Island Stewards, which he hopes will be, among other things, and umbrella organization for smaller nonprofits and projects.

Pat & Bob Jester

The Woodland Stewardship Award was given to Bob and Pat Jester property owners on Orcas Island. They have been quietly conserving a large swath of forestland along the Western slope of Entrance Mountain, near Rosario on Orcas Island, for many years.  The Jesters started implementing their conservation vision by donating two conservation easements to the San Juan Preservation Trust, protecting over 40 acres of woodlands through restriction of development rights. When they discovered that the land adjoining them, and bordering Sunrise Mountain and Cascade Lake was in peril of development, they purchased these lands and then subsequently turned them over to Moran State Park.  Because of their actions, the 5,252-acre Moran Park is now connected to an additional 300 acres of protected woodlands on Entrance Mountain.

Dr. Mike Kaill

The Shoreline Stewardship Award was given to Dr. Mike Kaill of San Juan Island. Mike, through his own efforts, started testing stormwater outfalls in Friday Harbor and, as manager of the Spring Street Aquarium, has used it  as his “canary in the coal mine” to gauge the health of the harbor.  After noticing a significant die-off in the animals within the aquarium (who live in water pulled straight from the Harbor), Mike used his own money to purchase an EPA-approved water testing kit to determine the cause of the problem.  After determining that the cause of the die-offs were high concentrations of soaps and detergents (surfactants), Mike began a tireless campaign to bring attention to the issue. He has encouraged the Town of Friday Harbor to look at their stormwater controls, and has encouraged businesses to not use storm-water drains for water loaded with soaps and detergents.

The Farmland Stewardship Award was presented to the Bullock Brothers Permaculture Homestead, on Orcas Island. Douglas, Joseph, and Sam Bullock founded the Permaculture Homestead, near Deer Harbor on Orcas Island, back in the early 80’s.  Pursuing the three ethics that are central to permaculture design: care for the earth, care for the people and fair share for all, the brothers have created a veritable paradise on their land; growing vegetables, flowers, and livestock in a manner that is completely in harmony with their surrounding environment.  The have been conducting classes, workshops and camps to teach people the concepts of permaculture design so that their new-found knowledge travels back to many other communities around the world.   They also foster the permaculture concept through landscaping and design services.

Lynn Danaher

The Village Stewardship Award was presented to Lynn Danaher of San Juan Island, the owner of Archipelago Properties. She was the driving force behind the recycling and refurbishment of the Churchill House and the Carter House, two historically significant homes located in Friday Harbor.  In keeping with the original character of the homes, and of the Town of Friday Harbor itself, she remodeled these aging structures using many recycled materials. The homes, now used as office suites, are surrounded by a limited hardscape.  This low impact development allows for natural drainage and prevents unnecessary storm water run-off. It also earned Lynn a discount on her stormwater fees from the Town of Friday Harbor, setting precedence for all future developments.

Award recipients were presented with large pottery “Finny’s”, fish-shaped creations handcrafted by Crow Valley Pottery, and enjoyed a luncheon provided by Tom French and the Experience Food Project. More information on the Summit and the awards can be found on the Stewardship Network website:
http://www.stewardshipsjc.org/summit.html

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