Good Steward Award winners presented with ‘Finnies’ at Sustainability Fair
Published 12:37 pm Monday, May 3, 2010
Islanders and visitors learned about sustainable lifestyles at the Sustainable Living Fair on May 1 in the the Village Green in Eastsound.
A favorite event of the fair is the “Finnies,” the Good Steward Awards. These awards recognize individuals, families, and businesses that have made a significant impact on the conservation, preservation, and protection of the San Juan Archipelago.
The following people received awards.
Business Stewardship Award: Smith & Speed Mercantile, Kathleen Smith and Errol Speed, owners, Orcas Island.
Kathleen Smith and Errol Speed have come to be known as the “go-to” people for the supplies, equipment, and advice for living a low-impact and sustainable lifestyle on Orcas Island.
Kathleen and Errol set up their storefront, “Smith and Speed Mercantile” after discovering a mutual passion for environmentally-friendly products and a sustainable lifestyle. Kathleen had a background in distribution of natural products, and Errol had many years experience in organic gardening and agriculture. The Mercantile is touted as an “alternative general store” and it is here that Kathleen and Errol sell everything from woodworking tools, local art, organic clothing, seeds, and gardening equipment. In fact, they stand firmly behind the products that they sell, as they have used everything in the store personally.
At home, Kathleen and Errol live off the grid, plow their fields with draft horses, and use goats to clear brush. They provide low-impact land development and building services. Through the store and their services, they have been very effective at being a hub for local sustainability. They connect local suppliers and buyers, and service providers with clients.
Youth Stewardship Award, Iris Parker Pavitt, Orcas Island.
Once again, the Good Steward Award for Youth Stewardship goes to an Orcas Island teen. Iris Parker Pavitt is this year’s award winner.
Iris is a junior at Orcas High School. She is currently the President of the Orcas High School Environmental Club. Since taking over the leadership of the club, Iris has led the charge to continue pressing the need for good recycling practices within the school. She has also orchestrated the making of a video for entry to an “America’s Greenest Schools” contest. The video depicts a variety of projects the Club has conducted as well as ideas for how they could use the $20,000 “Green School Makeover” that is the grand prize.
Iris is also a coordinator of the FEAST program here on Orcas (Farm Education and Sustainability for Teens), serves on the Farm-to-Cafeteria board, and is currently working on a bibliography of books related to sustainability for the Orcas Public Library.
Educator Stewardship, Denise Wilk, Orcas Island.
Denise Wilk has a passion for the environment. For the past seven years, she has single-handedly organized and hosted the “Environmental Fair” which takes place each May at the Orcas Landing. She has been invited into several schools to talk to island children about conservation issues and touts a simple message about our connectivity to the natural world. In her work with schoolchildren, she has had the children express what they learn through art, which is subsequently displayed at each year’s Environmental Fair.
Her love of all things marine has led Denise to serve as the Vice President of the “Keepers of the Patos Light” group, as a volunteer for three years at the Turn Point Lighthouse on Stuart Island, and as a board member of the Marine Resources Committee for 5 years.
Individual Stewardship Award, Julia Loyd, Waldron Island.
Julie Loyd exemplifies grassroots commitment to environmental stewardship based in home and community. Julie, along with her husband David, is passionate about sharing their sense of place.
She has been influential in fostering scientific knowledge in the Waldron community through projects that range from surveying beached birds and winter seabirds, to zooplankton population studies, and has helped create a citizen science program that is being looked at as a model in other areas. Julie added depth and perspective to scientific knowledge by interviewing elders and creating an archive of local nature observations.
When you’re surrounded by water it’s easy to slip into being island-centric. By reaching out while keeping a strong, sustaining sense of place intact, Julie breaks through this isolationism by fostering partnerships that connect us into one island community. Thank you Julie, for your commitment and vision.
Woodland Stewardship Award, Shaun Hubbard and Harold Kawaguchi, San Juan Island.
Shaun Hubbard and Harold Kawaguchi have a mission. They are dedicated to the preservation and restoration of a highly imperiled ecosystem- the Garry oak woodland. Shaun and Harold live on Cady Mountain, where this remnant ecosystem still survives. For the last eight years they have been working diligently on restoring the oak trees on their property. They have planted numerous oak saplings and have used low-impact forestry techniques, such as girdling and controlled burns, to remove encroaching Douglas fir forest and shrubs. The result is a peek into our islands’ past. Wildflowers abound, and the large oaks spread out with full reaching crowns, supporting a range of biodiversity not found in much of the islands.
Shaun and Harold have taken an active role in preaching the gospel of the Garry oak by helping neighbors conduct similar activities on their lands and attending conferences and seminars to educate themselves further. They have been active participants in the San Juan Islands Western Bluebird Reintroduction Project, a species that is closely associated with Garry oaks throughout its range. So that the property that they have so lovingly restored will remain that way in perpetuity, Shaun and Harold have taken steps towards long-term conservation in partnership with the San Juan County Land Bank.
Farmland Stewardship, Mitchell Bay Farm, Owners Bruce Gregory and Colleen Howe, San Juan Island.
Bruce Gregory and Colleen Howe-Gregory own Mitchell Bay Farm and Nursery (MBFN) located on San Juan Island. MBFN is one of the most sustainable farms in San Juan County. They raise a variety of products on their 20-acre farm, including a nursery with a focus on organically produced and deer resistant plant varieties; orchard and cane fruits including multiple varieties of apples, kiwis, plums, figs and Asian pears; lambs which are sold for meat and fleeces; and honey made by bees that spend a lot of time in Colleen’s beautiful and bee friendly garden. Colleen also makes soaps and salves, using natural ingredients.
Mitchell Bay Farm is a place for experimentation. It was the first nursery to be WSDA Certified Organic and Colleen’s research and on-the-ground experimentation have assisted other nurseries in the transition from conventional to organic. Bruce received a Farmer Research Grant (SARE) to install a V-trellis that uses electric fence protection wires to allow controlled sheep grazing in the Asian pear and Kiwi orchard. This provides nutrient cycling, takes care of mowing the grass and allows beneficial insects and garter snakes to live a quite happy life while protecting the orchard. His published study has been replicated in several locations in the nation.
Mitchell Bay Farm focuses on sustainability. As much as possible, all of the inputs on the farm come from the farm; for example their compost, containing sheep manure and plant wastes, is an important component of their garden soil blend. All the water used for the plants is collected with a pond catchment system. They follow a strict regimen of rotational grazing for the sheep, insuring that the pastures are always kept healthy and vegetative. A lot of their food is grown in their vegetable garden with a few exceptions. And, they live in a house that is 100 years old this year.
Bruce and Colleen are also very committed to their community. Bruce has been very active in the development and implementation of the Island Grown Farmers Cooperative and the mobile slaughter unit. He has also been helping other farmers through his work at the San Juan Islands Conservation District. Bruce and Colleen have also used their expertise in fruit tree propagation and pruning to teach in Kyrgyzstan. Colleen has spent countless hours teaching organic plant propagation and landscape gardening techniques to the local community.
