I have been so proud of us, lately — of our Kingston community and of our entire nation — since disaster struck the neighboring nation of Haiti.
The tragedy in Haiti was mesmerizingly horrific on our television and computer screens, day after day. The American people immediately began to find some extra cash to send to help the earthquake survivors, at a time when cash is tight. I was proud of our Kingston Rotary, which passed the hat that day to buy another ShelterBox — an emergency house-in-a-box for up to 10 people — to go to Haiti or wherever it is needed most. (See Rotary News on page 15)
There are many times when I am so proud of Kingston, as I see the hard-working volunteers around the meeting tables and in ourorganizations, all of us working to improve the town in every way they can. I am proud not only of the work that we are doing, and that we are working hard, but also that we are working cooperatively and with great respect for each other.
As I write this, I am winding up a day of meetings about the Village Green, the Carpenter Creek Estuary Restoration and the North Kitsap Trails project. These are three huge projects that have been developing over the past decade or more. They are all potentially wonderful improvements for the Kingston community.
What thrills me about them today is the people around the table are all so committed, caring and giving. No one around those meeting tables is going to get rich or personally benefit from seeing these projects completed, but each of us is willing to give hundreds of hours to make them happen.
Why do we do this? Because we care about our community and we care about our neighbors. A good, strong community is the very heart of sustainability. A truly sustainable community is one in which every member cares about his or her neighbors.
One of the things I love about Kingston is that here, for the most part, the same concern and caring applies to our neighbors in the natural world. A very large percentage of the Kitsap population for that matter, highly values Puget Sound, our streams, our trees, the green vegetation, the bears, the birds and the salmon. And everything in between.
Just as we take care to reach out to our human neighbors in need — whether a friend who broke her ankle or our neighbors in Haiti — our community reaches out to assist the non-human neighbors of our community as well.
The time has come, once again, for our community members to gather support for the restoration of the Carpenter Creek estuary and its excellent habitat.
We have opportunity to get the construction money through capital funds proposed in the state budget this year. (Capital funds are separate from the general operating funds and these are not the funds that need to be cut to balance the state budget).
The trees, birds, salmon and Puget Sound cannot write to their legislators, but we can, and the people of Kingston are doing that.
Again, I am very proud of our thoughtfulness and concern for our neighbors and our community.
Stillwaters Events:
Native Plant Class:
The WSU Extension will offer this four-week class on native plants and their uses. The course will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. over four Tuesdays, beginning March 9, at Stillwaters. Cost is $80 for the series or $25 per class. Contact Joleen Palmer at (360) 297-2876 or joleen@stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org.
Eco-Fest:
EcoFest will feature more than 40 exhibitors and displays with all kinds of enviro-education and eco-friendly products. The free festival will run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 at Stillwaters. Contact Naomi Maasberg at (360) 297-2876.
