Local Students Seeking Information about the Blueberry Farm

A group of students have undertaken a small ecological assessment of the Eberhardt Blueberry Farm. “We picked the blueberry field because of its evident diverse history,” writes Jana Raines, a student at The Evergreen State College. “Having gone from a thriving farm to naturalizing back to its current state makes it a fascinating location.” Raines and three others working on this project have already looked at the plant life, birds and animals in the area where the blueberry farm was located. But they need a little more historical information. Among those people living in the Steamboat area are a small number of folks who bought from or worked for Floyd and Laniera Savage, owners of the Eberhardt Blueberry Nurseries.

 

Would you be able to help Jana Raines answer a few questions about the blueberry farm?

When was the blueberry farm planted?
How long it was it in business?
How large is (or was) the blueberry farm?
When or how long ago was the blueberry farm abandoned?

If you have information to share about the history of the Eberhardt Blueberry Farm, please contact Jana Raines by email at seekeroflife@gmail.com or by phone at (360) 689-4888.

 

 

The Annual "Death to Scotch Broom" Blog Posting

Every year, around this time, all those yellow flags - those scotch broom flowers - come out to wave. Next will come the seeds and, next year, more scotch broom. There are noxious weeds and then there's scotch broom. Now is an excellent time of year to get serious about reducing the amount of scotch broom on your property.

So, responsible rural property owners want to know: What makes scotch broom so bad?

Scotch broom is a prodigious seed producer. The seeds have hard coats enabling them to survive in the environment for up to 80 years. Once established, scotch broom forms dense brush fields over six feet tall. The brush fields diminish habitat for grazing animals, such as livestock and native animals. Areas of dense brush shade out and kill native grassland plants in invaded areas, and favor invasion by other woody, non-grassland plant species.

Scotch broom prevents reforestation, creates a high fire hazard, renders rangeland worthless and greatly increases the cost of maintenance of roads, ditches, power and telephone lines. Wildlife suffers as the growth becomes too dense for even quail and other ground birds to thrive. Being slightly toxic and unpalatable it is browsed very little by livestock.

If you cut your trees, so that a lot of sunlight reaches the ground, you've probably now got scotch broom to cut.

How do you eradicate scotch broom?

There are two schools of thought, those who say pull out the whole plant and those who will tell you, if you're clever and your timing is right, all you need are a pair of lopping shears.

Ask the Vet: I Have a New Puppy! What Vaccinations Does She Need?

I have a new puppy! What vaccinations does she need to keep her healthy?

 

Dr. Cindy Goldsmith, a veterinarian at the Steamboat Animal Hospital, answers:

Puppies and kittens need vaccinations to help prevent severe infections that may be life-threatening. They need a series of vaccines beginning at 6 - 8 weeks and ending at 16 - 18 weeks.

For dogs, vaccines are available for parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, leptospirosis, bordetella and rabies.

For cats we have vaccines for distemper, rhino tracheitis, calcivirus, feline leukemia and rabies.

It is important to complete a series of vaccines so your pet will be protected from these diseases. Your veterinarian can help determine which vaccines your pet needs to keep her healthy!

Dr. Cindy Goldsmith and her husband have lived in the Steamboat community for several years; their son goes to Griffin School. Dr. Cindy has special interests in medicine, surgery, oncology, and ultrasound. She provides an important perspective on animal health.

Text and photographs reprinted with permission from issue 8 of the Steamboat Island Register. For more information and to advertise in the Register, contact Amanda Waggoner at (360) 870-2126 or steamboatreg@gmail.com
 
 

The Red-Tailed Hawk

The red-tailed hawk is very good at adapting to different environments. They have no problem cohabitating with humans and have even made a home for themselves in New York City, where they feed on pigeons and rats.

The deforestation of the United States actually made more hunting grounds for the red-tailed hawk, who seems to find a utility pole the perfect lookout over a field or roadway.

The red-tailed hawk feeds primarily on rodents and can reach 120 miles per hour when diving from the sky to catch its doomed prey.

If you hear the screeching of a hawk look to the sky. If there is only a single hawk, the bird is probably hunting or guarding its territory, but if you see two hawks twirling around each other, be prepared to be impressed. This is a courtship flight, where the male may show off to the female for over ten minutes by swooping, diving and even grabbing her talons in midair. Hawks usually mate for life and perform this dance often, so keep your eyes on the sky this spring.

Text and photographs reprinted with permission from issue 8 of the Steamboat Island Register. For more information and to advertise in the Register, contact Amanda Waggoner at (360) 870-2126 or steamboatreg@gmail.com 

Click here for more articles about the nature around us. 
 
 

Restoration Hope Outreach Creating Events to Bring Community Together

This last Holiday Season, local residents were invited by a new group, called "Restoration Hope Outreach", to gather at Prosperity Grange for "Christmas Caroling at the Grange". The event was well attended, standing room only and for the first time introduced folks to Restoration Hope, along with the founders, Ingrid Ferris-Olszewsky, Catherine Haag and Heidi Sheffels.

 

Much more recently, on March 8th, Restoration Hope Outreach sponsored another event, the "Steamboat Senior Gathering at the Grange." This was a 'planning meeting' and the first of what's expected to be an ongoing series of events at Prosperity Grange.

But what is Restoration Hope Outreach? According to Heidi Sheffels, one of Restoration's organizers, "In brief, the main goal of Restoration Hope Outreach is to find ways to bring our community together. And what a better place to gather than our own local Grange?"

More than $700 in donations was collected during an hour and a half at Christmas Caroling at the Grange this past Christmas Season. Those donations were used to help families, here in our Community. Most of the money went to Griffin Elementary School, delegated by Mrs. Cetak, to be placed in a special friendship fund, to help kids in need throughout the year. The rest of the donations are for St. Christopher's Food Bank that delivers food to Steamboat residents.

In the case of the Senior Gathering, the hope to make this 'a monthly event' for our own Steamboat Seniors to gather, socialize, play cards, talk and share about the past, enjoy a potluck and possibly listen to a local speaker or musician, sponsored by Restoration Hope.

The next Steamboat Senior Gathering is planned for Friday, April 12th, 10am to 11:30am at the Prosperity Grange. "All local Retirees and Seniors Welcome! Bring a friend and enjoy your time together!"
 
 

"Aquaponics" Topic of Guest Speaker at Prosperity Grange's Monthly Meeting

Regular viewers of our online Community Calendar know the Prosperity Grange typically meets the first Wednesday of each month, except for except July and August. Their meetings begin at 7 PM, but there’s a potluck that begins at 6:30 PM. On April 3rd, the Grange will hear from a guest speaker about “Aquaponics”.

Prosperity Grange
Wednesday, April 3
Potluck at 6:30 PM, Meeting begins at 7PM
The public is invited

Local resident Kevin Benedict will be presenting a brief and fun talk on the topic of Aquaponics. According to Kevin, "This amazing, ancient and revolutionary farming technique raises edible fish and vegetables in an ecological, closed loop system. The size is up to you! Aquarium? Old hot tub? Swimming pool? This is truly the wave of the farming future."

Countries around the world that don't have our rich earth and water abundance are building thousands of acres of Aquaponics and are transforming the farming landscape of the planet.

Kevin is working with the new Aquaponics greenhouse at Evergreen University, in partnership with some young business folks that are building commercial applications in the area. Kevin is most interested, however, in learning and teaching individual households and small farmers about how to bring year round food and fish production to the back yard and the local community.

Kevin is a new member of our community. He moved on to the peninsula in February with his 11 year old son.

Kevin owns an entertainment and auction company, and promises on April 3rd that he “will stick to the old Show Biz axiom: 'Always leave them wanting more.’'"

For more information about Kevin Benedict, see his web site at http://www.greatsong.com/
For more information about the Prosperity Grange, see their web site at http://prosperitygrange.org/
 
 

FORKids Program Provides Meals for Children in Thurston County

In the summer of 2007, The Olympian ran an article which reported that (at that time) 671 children were homeless in Thurston County. Partly in response to that article, Robert Coit, the director of the Thurston County Food Bank, created a program called "FORKids". Modeled after similar Backpack programs, volunteers assemble packets that include non perishable, single serving, easy to prepare food. FORKids tries to provide nutrition based meals for two days to cover each child's weekend. Counselors at the participating schools contact the FORKids program with numbers for the week. The assembled supplies are put into plastic bags, stored at the Food Bank and delivered to the participating schools. The counselors then discretely put the food packets into the student's backpack.

A pilot program was held, for the first year, with the North Thurston, Olympia and Tumwater school districts. The focus were preschool and elementary students up to 6th grade. The non-profit Homeless Backpacks, Inc. services middle and high schools.

After the first years' pilot, our own Griffin School District was added, with Hawks Prairie Head Start, West Olympia Head Start, Marshall Middle School and Komachin Middle School.

As of this month (March 2013), ForKids is serving 1700 students a week in Thurston County. At the Griffin School, the program consistently serves around 37 students.

How can you support the FORKids program? There are a few ways. You can donate certain kinds of food which are nutritious and yet appealing for kids and which are easy for kids to open and prepare. Contributions of cash are always welcome. And you can volunteer to help assemble food packets.
 

The Great Blue Heron

While Blue Herons live throughout North America, they are iconic of the Pacific Northwest, because they only live around water, and we have a lot of water, and unlike the colder parts of the country where they migrate south, here they are year-round residents.

Blue Herons gather in colonies of 5 to 500 to breed. Both the female and male build a nest of sticks. The eggs are a light blue, and both parents will regurgitate food for the young once they hatch.

The firstborn chick gets larger than its siblings because it learns how to handle food and be aggressive towards its clutch mates.

While primarily consuming small fish, the Great Blue Heron will also eat small mammals, insects, amphibians and small birds. They swallow their prey whole and have been known to choke on prey that is too large.

Text and photographs reprinted with permission from issue 8 of the Steamboat Island Register. For more information and to advertise in the Register, contact Amanda Waggoner at (360) 870-2126 or steamboatreg@gmail.com
 
 

Steamboat Neighborhood Stickers and Something Called "Social Capital"

Television, two-career families, suburban sprawl, generational changes in values--these and other changes in American society have meant that fewer and fewer of us find that the League of Women Voters, or the United Way, or the Shriners, or the monthly bridge club, or even a Sunday picnic with friends fits the way we have come to live. Our growing social-capital deficit threatens educational performance, safe neighborhoods, equitable tax collection, democratic responsiveness, everyday honesty, and even our health and happiness.

This is part of the conclusion reached in the book Bowling Alone,  by Robert D. Putnam. In this book and his follow-up, Better Together: Restoring the American Community, Putnam describes our loss of what he calls "social capital" and how people across the country are inventing new forms of social activism and community renewal. Thinking about the concept of social capital, too, has caused the Board of the Griffin Neighborhood Association to consider what role it could play to increase a feeling of connectedness among those of us living in the Griffin Area.

It may seem a strange start, but the concepts in Putnam's books have produced the Steamboat Neighborhood stickers now seen on vehicles all along the length of our peninsula. What's the story behind the Steamboat Neighborhood logo and the more than 3000 stickers distributed free to residents in our area?

Missy Watts, a local resident, realtor, and member of the Board of the Griffin Neighborhood Association read Bowling Alone. At a GNA Board meeting last year, she described the principle of social capital and asked what the Association could do to help restore the social fabric of our peninsula's neighborhoods. "Growing up in the barrier islands called The Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia," Watts said, "one island and several neighborhoods from a bigger island had stickers that identified drivers as residents. It was always fun to see people 'in town', as we called the mainland, who were neighbors. Because the Golden Isles are a tourist destination, the stickers also identified us a locals, which was important to us as well." This was the genesis of the idea that lead to the stickers.

Local graphical artist Bryan Douglas created the distinctive heron and Steamboat Neighborhood artwork, contained within an oval frame. Mr. Douglas then did something a little bit extraordinary. He released the copyright to his work. The Steamboat Neighborhood logo is now licensed under Creative Commons and is available for use by individuals and businesses. Under this license, you are free to share - to copy, distribute and transmit the work and to make commercial use of the work.

The Steamboat Neighborhood logo is not a service mark for the Griffin Neighborhood Association. Residents and businesses in the Steamboat area are invited to use the logo to distinguish yourself and your business as one which is local to the Steamboat area. You do not need to attribute the logo to Mr. Douglas. But, you may not suggest the artist endorses you or your use of his work. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.

Click here for a high-quality image of the Steamboat Neighborhood artwork, which you are welcome to use.

It doesn't matter whether you are involved in a local faith community, volunteer for the Griffin Fire Department or at one of our local schools, are a member of the Prosperity Grange or the Griffin Neighborhood Association, or are a leader for one of your children's youth groups. You are helping to build social capital - the social fabric of our community.

And the next time you see someone driving a car with a Steamboat Neighborhood sticker on it, give 'em a wave. They're one of your neighbors.

Click here for more information about social capital.

Join our GriffinNeighbors online discussion group, "like" us on Facebook, attend an event on our community calendar, visit with your neighbors. . . Increase your connections here, in your home neighborhood. 
 
   

Local Authors Tell the History of Schafer State Park Through Vintage Photos

The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Schafer State Park from local authors Peter Schafer Reid and Barbara Seal Ogle. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

Schafer State Park, a US National Historic Site located to the north of Elma, not only represents a unique example of 1930s craftsmanship from the Works Progress Administration and other emergency programs but is also a window into the settlement of the Satsop River Valley. In the last quarter of the 19th century, this included the vast logging and lumber operations undertaken at the park and in the surrounding forest, as well as the bounty available from the river stretching far back into the history of Native Americans in the Northwest.

The park also memorializes an early example of philanthropy by private citizens and corporations in Washington State. It is an effort that has continued over the years and has been crucial to the expansion of the state park system. The authors are pleased to provide this book as the Washington State Parks System celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Highlights of Schafer State Park include:

• Pioneer Days in the Satsop River Vallery
• Life and Logging Before and During World War I
• The 1920’s Boom and Establishment of Schafer State Park
• The Depression Years of the 1930’s
• World War II to the Present

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665.