Bainbridge Island Fire Department conducts a prescribed burn in a meadow at the Bloedel Reserve.  Prescribed fire is a commonly used tool in meadow management that, among other useful benefits, controls undesirable and invasive species, which are often less adapted to fire than the desirable species in the Bloedel meadow. photo contributed by Bainbridge Island Fire Department

Removing invasive weeds is a stewardship priority for the Bainbridge Island Land Trust. On the first Wednesday of every month, a volunteer work party tackles this critical work at a Land Trust managed property. photos contributed by Bainbridge Island Land Trust

The Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation led an Earth Day ivy pull along the Sound to Olympics Trail Sakai Pond Connector. It was the first-ever restoration event since the trail opened last year. Volunteers ventured off the trail right of way to tackle climbing vines around the woodland. photos courtesy of Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation

The Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation and Weed Warriors hosted Earth Day restoration at Waterfront Park in Winslow. Volunteers grubbed out lots of holly –some plants towering more than 10 feet hight – along with noxious spurge that was spreading through the understory plants. photos courtesy of Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation

Tobin Tripp of the Bloedel Reserve horticulture staff removing English ivy off the trees and creating survival rings in an effort to preserve and restore our forested ecosystem. photos contributed by of the Bloedel Reserve

Douglas Crist is senior communications manager for the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation. He is former editor of the Bainbridge Island Review newspaper and a historic preservationist in the Fort Ward neighborhood, where he has lived since 1992. He also serves as board secretary for the nonprofit Marge Williams Center. His current lease on life is thanks to a kidney transplanted from an altruistic donor in 2019, and he gratefully reminds readers that they too can save a life by “sharing their spare.”

Table of Contents, Issue #16, Summer 2022