Monthly Archives: June 2014
Successful Steamboat Conservation Partnership Extended for Another Five Years
The Board of the Griffin Neighborhood Association joined this last month with the Board of the Capitol Land Trust to extend the term of the Steamboat Conservation Partnership for another five years.
The Steamboat Conservation Partnership is a unique agreement between a neighborhood association and a land trust.
We are happy to report the SCP has generated more than $80,000 during the first five years of the Partnership. This sum exceeds their five-year, $75,000 goal. All contributions are tax exempt, because they are made directly to Capitol Land Trust, which is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Funds collected by the SCP are used by Capitol Land Trust to pay for staff time related to properties in the Steamboat Peninsula Region. This work in the Steamboat Peninsula Region includes developing agreements with owners of significant natural areas and working lands to conserve their property, maintaining relationships with property owners who already have given or sold their property or development rights to Capitol Land Trust, periodically meeting with a committee from our area on potential areas to conserve, and leading tours of protected areas.
Since 2009, Capitol Land Trust has conserved the following important or significant natural areas within the Steamboat Peninsula region:
- The Adams Cove Preserve, 35 acres and a pocket estuary on Totten Inlet.
- The Lower Eld Estuary Preserve, 55 acres along southern Eld Inlet.
- The Schmidt Conservation Easement addition, 5.5 acres near Hunter Point, adding to 29 acres already conserved.
In addition, an agreement will soon be signed conserving an additional 175 acres as part of the Wynne Conservation Easement, located in the Schneider Creek Valley with the headwaters of the creek. This will add to the existing 355 acres that are part of the Wynne Conservation Easement.
How does the Steamboat Conservation Partnership work? Capitol Land Trust places contributions to the SCP into a segregated trust account and uses the funds to finance a portion of its efforts to develop relationships with property owners in the Steamboat Peninsula Region, write habitat acquisition grants, negotiate agreements with property owners, and manage properties or easements within the Steamboat Peninsula Region. Defined as the watersheds of both Eld Inlet and Totten Inlet, the Steamboat Peninsula Region includes the Steamboat Island/ Griffin Peninsula, western Cooper Point draining into Eld Inlet, the eastern part of Mason County draining into Totten Inlet, and areas draining into Kennedy Creek or McLane Creek. A priority focus is made on lands located within the boundaries of the Griffin School District.
The Land Trust has a proven record of success, and has permanently conserved more than 5,000 acres in four southwest Washington counties, including more than 14 miles of south Puget Sound shoreline.
The map below shows the natural areas and working lands conserved by Capitol Land Trust within the Steamboat Conservation Region. Discussions are underway with other property owners to conserve additional lands within our Region.
 |
| Click here for a complete description of all conserved lands. |
If you would like to learn more about how you can support the Steamboat Conservation Partnership, click here to read their web page.
The Board of the Griffin Neighborhood Association is proud of its partnership with the Capitol Land Trust and we hope you will join us in actively supporting the efforts of the SCP.
This Year’s Community Picnic will Focus on Local Businesses and Farms, Food and Fun
It’s summer picnic time again! On Sunday, July 27th the Griffin Neighborhood Association will host its annual community picnic. Last year’s picnic, with its emphasis on local businesses and farms, was widely praised by those who attended. Folks liked it so much, we’re going to do it again!
Sunday, July 27
12 noon to 4 PM
Prosperity Grange, Steamboat Golf, Griffin Fire Department Headquarters
Food and Fun
Xinh Dwelley, of Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House, will be preparing her fresh seafood specialties. The Griffin Neighborhood Association will be preparing hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings. The folks from the Steamboat Trading Post are donating beverages.
Is this a potluck? Any main dishes, salads, or desserts will be very welcome and there’s plenty of space for dining inside the Prosperity Grange. You do not have to bring a potluck dish. But we’d love to serve anything you may choose to bring.
The Griffin Fire Department will hold an open house on our picnic day. You are invited to come in, learn about your local volunteer fire department and check out some of their equipment. Practice your swing at the Steamboat Golf driving range. Make a new friend with one of the alpacas from Lighthouse Alpaca Ranch. Watch a demonstration by a local craftsperson or organization. As more details become known, you can learn more about the day’s events on this web site or on our Facebook Page. We’ll have a little program of events to distribute, the day of the picnic.
Local Businesses and Farms
Last year, nearly 40 local businesses, farms, and organizations were represented. Click here for a recap of last year’s picnic. This year will be even bigger! Come and learn more about the products and services available right here in our own neighborhood. Try some samples, participate in a raffle, meet your neighbors who own or operate local businesses or produce the freshest food you’ve tasted.
Do you own or operate a local business or farm? We’d love to have you participate. You don’t have to have anything to sell at the event. In fact, the focus of this event is not on buying and selling. For more information and to confirm that you will attend, click here for an information sheet and an application. But don’t delay, since spaces are allotted on a first come, first served basis. If you’re interested in attending, but have questions, leave a phone message for our event coordinators at 360-252-6047 or email us.
Can You Volunteer?
Would you like to help us organize this event? Or could you help for just an hour or so on the actual day of the picnic? We could really use a hand. Leave a message for us at 360-252-6047 and we’ll get back to you very quickly.
Watch this space for more details and we hope to see you July 27th!
Sovereign Cellars is Our Award Winning Local Winery
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon was a winner at last year’s Seattle Wine Awards. This year, four Sovereign wines received this “Best of the Best” award.
You might already know Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine, behind only California. There are over 80 grape varieties grown in Washington State by more than 350 grape growers. And there are more than 800 wineries producing more than 40 varietals in our state. But did you know we have an award winning winery right here, on the Steamboat Peninsula?
“Greetings from Sovereign Cellars,” writes winemaker Dennis “Denny” Gross. “It’s spring and our new 2011 wines are coming out.”
“We have four very nice award winning wines this season. All received Double Gold Awards at the Seattle Wine Awards recently.”
These wines came away with the Double Gold (“Best of the Best”) award:
2011 Sovereign Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Sovereign Cellars Finnigan’s Daughter Claret
2011 Sovereign Cellars Cuvée
2011 Sovereign Cellars Syrah
The winery is located at 7408 Manzanita Drive, off Steamboat Island Road, and is available weekdays and weekends for small private tastings, by appointment. Call 866-7991 for details.
Sovereign Cellars is planning several large wine tasting events this spring and summer. Watch this web site and the GriffinNeighbors Facebook Page as more information becomes available.
From the Sovereign Cellars web site we learned that winemaker Denny Gross is a former chemistry teacher who has made wine and beer as a hobby for 30 years. “He makes wines that he likes to drink, Heavy Dark, Powerful Reds with a lot of character.”
Sovereign wines are sold at the Bayview Market and Haggen and are available at Budd Bay Café, Dock Street Bistro, and Water Street Café.
“Come and see us anytime,” says Dennis Gross.
The wine tasting room is available weekdays and weekends by appointment at 866-7991.
Sovereign Cellars is one of the many local businesses listed online in our Business Directory. Visit our directory whenever you are shopping for goods and services.