Environment

Bainbridge Island Food Forest

The Bainbridge Island Food Forest showcases responsible agroecological practices like vegetated buffer zones, reducing the risk that excess nutrients end up in Puget Sound. Open to the public 365 days a year, it is utilized by walkers, birders, hikers, runners, nature lovers, and students. While fostering the health of all species, it is a(n):

Edible public park, open to all
Community powered, co-created hub delivering hands-on experiences to grow ideas and inspire curiosity in children and adults
Living classroom and shared space to implement regenerative local food production and innovative concepts in habitat preservation and restoration
Sanctuary free for all to gather, nourish, explore, and share
Replicable model for year-round food security and equitable distribution of locally grown, nutritious, and fresh food

The project addresses climate change and increases environmental awareness and skills of students through focused field studies, extension lessons, and building a hands-on relationship with the land.

Website: friendsofthefarms.org/bff

Bainbridge Island Land Trust

The Bainbridge Island Land Trust’s mission is to conserve and steward the diverse natural environments of Bainbridge Island.

For over three decades, the Land Trust has played a vital role in conserving areas of ecological significance, including forests, shorelines, steams, wetlands, tidelands and unique plant and animal habitat networks. This work to protect and restore Island lands and waters honors past generations, preserves a legacy for future generations, and builds a network of protected lands resilient to a changing climate.

The Land Trust works with local and regional partners to acquire and restore land for preserves, parks, trails, and public use. The Land Trust has preserved more than 1,500 acres, including Hilltop, The Grand Forest, Pritchard Park, Gazzam Lake, Agate Passage, Cougar Creek, Rockaway Bluff and Springbrook Creek Preserves. We also partner with private landowners to protect and steward their land using conservation easement agreements.

Website: www.bi-landtrust.org

Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation

Support the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation with a gift through One Call for All.

The Parks & Trails Foundation draws from community creativity and inspiration to mobilize resources that improve parks and trails island wide. Your gifts allow us to expand mileage and connectivity for local trails; lead campaigns for community amenities like the Strawberry Hill Bike Park; steward healthy forest projects at Moritani Preserve; offer community grants to improve local parks, trails, and recreational environments; and support year-round stewardship through Student Conservation Corps, EarthCorps and Summer Trails Crew.

Your gift through One Call for All makes this and so much more possible for our Bainbridge Island parks and trails. Thank you!

Website: www.biparksfoundation.org

Buy Nothing Project

The Buy Nothing Project, started on Bainbridge Island in 2013, is a global gift economy network with over 13 million participants. Our BuyNothing app gives everyone access to a thriving reuse economy where neighbors can ask for what they want or need, give what they have in excess, and express their gratitude. Every gift, whether tangible or a gift of service, is freely-given. Our website offers free resources and person-to-person support to guide this movement and to achieve significant social and environmental benefits. Together, we are fostering a culture of abundant, free giving, asking, and gratitude that keeps items in use and builds resilient communities.

Website: buynothingproject.org

EcoAdapt

EcoAdapt supports Bainbridge Island, and communities like ours, in creating a robust future in the face of climate change, through education and collaboration with local government, community groups and concerned citizens. Our programs include Adaptation Support, Training & Workshops, Research & Innovation, and Knowledge Exchange (including the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKEx.org) and the National Adaptation Forum). Past work includes guiding Bainbridge Island to a climate savvy comprehensive plan, the Bainbridge Island Climate Impact Assessment and the Climate Change Adaptation Certification (a tool for communities like ours to make climate savvy decisions everyday). EcoAdapt has also co-hosted the Bainbridge Climate and Energy Forum, Movies That Matter, and Community Climate Conversations. Learn more at EcoAdapt.org.

Website: www.EcoAdapt.org

Friends of the Farms

The business of farming has changed. Farmers are aging out and seeking successors. Costs have skyrocketed for everything; land, housing, equipment, supplies, and labor. Climate change impacts what and how crops are grown. Friends of the Farms is driven by four goals that reflect this new reality:

Create interest, investment, and pride in local farm businesses so they are part of the everyday fiber of our communities
Foster dynamic year-round connections among our farmers, businesses, and communities
Bring awareness of and respect for local agriculture to ensure a thriving future, where farmers are valued and farmland is conserved for future generations
Ensure that farmers can live in the communities they serve

Friends of the Farms provides affordable housing for farm interns and workers, hands-on educational experiences for children, and community engagement with local food and farms. We are champions and advocates for our local food economy.

Website: www.friendsofthefarms.org

IslandWood

IslandWood is an environmental education nonprofit. We offer a variety of immersive programs throughout the Seattle region to help children, educators, and community members deepen their understanding of the world around them, explore important environmental issues, and see the power they have to make a positive impact on their communities and the planet. Our programs are designed to meet the different needs of the communities we serve. From the woods of Bainbridge Island, to streams in Seattle, to schoolyards in Tacoma, to the halls of the State Capitol building, we’re working to create hands-on learning experiences for all our region’s students, educators, and community members. We understand there is an inextricable connection between educational justice, environmental justice, and racial equity. Embedding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) throughout our organization is central to our work in environmental education, and to inspiring healthy communities and a healthy planet.

Website: https://islandwood.org/

Kitsap Audubon Society

The mission of Kitsap Audubon Society is to promote the understanding and appreciation of birds, wildlife habitat and the environment through education, stewardship, community science and advocacy, and to conserve and restore the ecosystems that birds need now and in the future. Our Bainbridge members and friends are among our most active volunteers and supporters. Our newsletter, the Kingfisher, is sent monthly to members, friends and community leaders. Our monthly membership meetings feature educational presentations. We sponsor free birding field trips on Bainbridge Island, in Kitsap County and around Puget Sound. We donate numerous annual scholarships to public high school seniors and college students engaged in environmental studies. We support land conservation programs of Kitsap nonprofits including the BI Land Trust. Our website is www.kitsapaudubon.org. We are an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff.

Website: www.kitsapaudubon.org

Northwest Maritime

Salish Sea Expeditions, a program of the Northwest Maritime Center, provides a transformative marine science education. Since its inception in 1994, over 12,000 students have embarked on 3- to 5-day expeditions across Puget Sound, fostering curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking by engaging participants in the role of scientists and mariners. The program emphasizes hands-on, student-led scientific inquiry, allowing students to take control of their learning experience. Participants enjoy a variety of activities, including sailing, marine science experiments, and exploration of the San Juan Islands aboard the program vessels Admiral Jack and the Schooner Zodiac. Salish Sea Expeditions is a unique, life-changing opportunity for students to immerse themselves in marine science and navigation, promoting a lasting appreciation for the marine environment. With your support, Salish Sea Expeditions aims to enhance and grow our impactful programs, nurturing young learners’ curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking as they become scientists and mariners.

Website: nwmaritime.org

Puget Sound Restoration Fund

Based on Bainbridge since 1997, Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) pioneers techniques to restore marine habitat and native species throughout Puget Sound. Examples include spearheading native oyster, abalone, and kelp recovery efforts, operating a conservation hatchery, and developing strategies to mitigate ocean acidification. Support from OCFA boosts efforts to re-forge connections between people and marine resources, and engage islanders in kelp gardening, and community shellfish farming.

Website: restorationfund.org

Sustainable Bainbridge

Sustainable Bainbridge promotes actions to increase social, economic and environmental sustainability of our community. Our programs include Zero Waste, Bainbridge Beach Naturalists, Climate Action Bainbridge, Watershed Council, Weed Warriors, Bainbridge GreenWays and ReFashion Bainbridge. In addition to our ongoing programs, we function as an incubator to support the development of new sustainability-related initiatives in the community. We also collaborate with partner organizations on special projects, such as Earth Month, coordinating the Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup, the annual Bainbridge Island Environmental conference, and the Climate and Energy Forum.

Website: www.sustainablebainbridge.org

Suyematsu Farm Legacy Alliance

Suyematsu Farm Legacy Alliance (SFLA) is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the living legacy and heritage of Akio Suyematsu and his family’s original farm as a community asset involving a center of active farming, interpretation and education. Founded in 1928, this forty acre property is one of the oldest, continuously farmed working landscapes in the region, the largest production farm on Bainbridge Island, and a unique private-public partnership. The SFLA is committed to cultivating strong working relationships focused on honoring the legacy of historic Suyematsu Farm. Please support our efforts to stabilize and restore the Historic Preservation District, place the farm on State & National Historic Registers, and improve the welfare of the current farmers who are Akio Suyematsu’s agricultural legacy. To help us achieve our goals, we are guided by Akio’s principles and traditions of “clean living” for generations to come. EduCulture is the fiscal sponsor of the SFLA.

Website: SuyematsuFarmLegacyAlliance.org