Steamboat Conservation Partnership Working to Preserve Our Natural Beauty

Posted on October 23, 2016October 23, 2016 by GriffinNeighbors

Fall is here and the autumn leaves are beautiful. Let’s make sure we keep the natural beauty of our area by supporting the Steamboat Conservation Partnership (SCP). The Partnership is an agreement with Capitol Land Trust where contributions are earmarked to help conserve sensitive areas within the watersheds of Eld and Totten Inlets. All contributions are tax exempt.

Capitol Land Trust uses these contributions to cover expenses in working with local property owners for the voluntary conservation of their environmentally sensitive and critical properties. Your contribution to the SCP ensures that your support is used to conserve habitat right here in the watersheds feeding the Eld and Totten inlets.

Click here to find more details about the SCP. And click here to learn more about areas already conserved in the “Steamboat Conservation Partnership Region”.

Contributions to the Steamboat Conservation Partnership may be mailed to the Capitol Land Trust with “SCP” in the check memo area.
Capitol Land Trust
209 4th Ave E, Ste. 205
Olympia, WA 98501

Or click here to make a contribution online, through the Capitol Land Trust’s web site. Please remember to add, to the “Note” field on your online contribution, that the contribution is made for the SCP.

Thank you for your support of the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.

An Apple Affair Makes Annual Appearance This Sunday, October 23

Posted on October 18, 2016October 18, 2016 by GriffinNeighbors

This Sunday the folks from the old Madrona Grove Fruit Truck and the Building Earth Farm will lay out a variety of apples to sample and buy, at their annual Apple Affair. This year’s Apple Affair is at Rignall Hall, 8131 Urquhart Road NW, Olympia.

“We’ll be bringing in apple varieties from a number of small family farms throughout the Okanogan. Join us for a free apple tasting and community apple potluck dessert table, Olympic Mountain Ice Cream, coffee, tea and hot apple cider. Bring the whole family!”

An Apple Affair
Sunday, October 23
12 noon to 4 PM
Rignall Hall

From their web page, we read, “The event starts at noon and goes until 4pm in a flurry of activity that leaves the sample plates mostly empty by around 3:30, so come early for the tasting and stay for some apple treats and rub elbows with your neighbors.”

In the past, the apple inventory has been limited and they suggest you bring along a box or other container to carry some apples home with you.

Kayaking Mud Bay

Posted on October 5, 2016October 5, 2016 by James Nugent

Published in the "Steamboat Island Register". Pick up a copy at the Steamboat Coffee Shop and other local businesses.

One of the simple pleasures in life is kayaking on saltwater in the wilderness. Fortunately, just a couple miles south of the Steamboat Island exit, is just such a place. Mud Bay can be seen from Highway 101 and the Mud Bay Bridge.

I am often distracted by the wildlife when I am driving. It is safer to just stop, take your binoculars, and go for a walk near Buzz’s Tavern.

Mud Bay at Low Tide. Photo by Gale Hemmann, illustrating an article published June 2014, in ThurstonTalk.

The best way to see the wildlife is to get on the water in a kayak. One can park the car and put the boat in the water at the Park and Ride, which is one block north of the Tavern.

I prefer to park on the side of the road near the Mud Bay Bridge. Then I put my ten-year-old $69 inflatable kayak in the water under the bridge. Put your boat in during the incoming tide. Be sure to get out of the mud flat before the water gets too low. People have died in other mud flats when they got stuck in the mud.

One of the perks of going into Mud Bay on a flood tide is that the water is warmed by the hot mud on a sunny day. The water temperature is great for swimming.

In the fall you can see salmon trying to get to Mclane Creek, and eagles plucking them from the sea. I saw a bear here five years ago! I have also seen raccoons and foxes working the shorelines along with numerous deer. It is like an episode of National Geographic except that it is all real time reality.

by James Nugent.

Artist Cooperative Locavore Mercantile Grand Opening October 15 and 16

Posted on October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 by GriffinNeighbors

A few weeks back, area residents on Nextdoor saw a post from local resident Beth Mathews. The message, with the subject line “Seeking local artisans and artists,” described Mathews’ plans to open a pop-up shop in Steamboat Square. Her call immediately attracted the attention of both artisans and shoppers. Just a few days before, Mathews had created a web site for the new store, a cooperative called “Locavore Mercantile.” This online activity is now resulting in a retail store located just next to the Subway sandwich shop. Locavore Mercantile represents an exciting way for local artists to connect with local shoppers this upcoming holiday season.

Locavore Mercantile Grand Opening
October 15 and 16
6541 Sexton Dr NW, Olympia, WA 98502

We got together for an online chat with Beth Mathews.

Where’d you get the idea for Locavore Mercantile?

I make hypoallergenic jewelry and non-comedogenic skincare, and have been selling my products locally and online for about 6 years. I’ve had the fortune of participating in galleries, farmers markets, and one pop-up shop last December. I recently quit my part-time “real” job in order to focus on my own business. After carting goods around from market to market this summer, I wanted to be a little more stationary for the fall. The holiday season is an important sales season for artisans and artists, so it’s a great time to have temporary retail space. At this time of year many people are looking for gifts that are special, and artists and artisans are trying to fill those needs through their online sales or at craft shows. I knew I could not fill a shop alone, so I called on artist friends and put a call out for interested local artisans to join.

How’s the recruiting of artisans coming along?

We have an amazingly talented group of people in this shop. Many are local to the community or Olympia, and some are from as far away as Portland and Seattle. My goal was to bring in a range of products, from artwork that will last generations, to products you can use in your everyday life. When I started recruiting I wasn’t sure how the response would go, but I am proud of the work on display at Locavore Mercantile.

I’m adding more artists and artisans to our website page this week (slowly), as well as announcing them on Facebook.

Earlier today, Mathews posted a preliminary list of the artists that constitute the Locavore Mercantile “Departments”. Click here to catch up on the news.

Why set up shop here, on the Steamboat Peninsula?

I’ve been considering retail space in Olympia, but I live on the peninsula, so when I heard this location was open I figured why not be ultra-local? I personally don’t like making more trips into town than I need to, so I figured locals might like to shop locally. It’s turned out that, because of the cooperative aspect of the shop, this has been a great place to network with other local businesses.

Everyone at Locavore is a seasoned artisan. Our community has a lot of talented people! Many of the artisans are Etsy sellers, have online stores, sell at galleries throughout the northwest, and frequent art and holiday shows.

What would need to happen, for Locavore Mercantile to stick around past the holidays?

We need the community to shop at Locavore Mercantile! And we also need the time to form a democracy. As a pop-up, everything is happening lightning fast. With a large group of people, it’s hard to come to important decisions quickly. So for the pop-up, I took the lead and a leap of faith that we could assemble a one-of-a-kind shop in only a few weeks. We’ve done that. So our next steps are to see how the community responds to the shop, and we’ll start talking about what structure we’d like this to take in the future.

What is a pop-up shop?

Pop-up shops are temporary retail spaces, designed to excite interest in a company. In this case, over 20 local artisans are coming together to offer their products for sale in their community. Many of us sell online, or in shops in nearby towns, but Locavore Mercantile provides an opportunity to sell directly to our neighbors. It’s a unique assortment of art and goods that will not be found anywhere else in the world.

The list of artists and products lined up for Locavore Mercantile is impressive and growing. Home goods and stationary, pottery, cosmetics, fashion and accessories, puppets and books for children, photography and other fine art are already confirmed. “The shop is hosting a wide variety of goods made in the northwest, including handmade textiles, soap, cosmetics, jewelry, condiments, pottery, art, cards, and gift wrap.” Visit the web site for Locavore Mercantile for more details and don’t forget to mark your calendar for the grand opening weekend of October 15 and 16.

Check out Beth Mathews’ Kickstarter campaign, for Dirty Hippie Deodorant, an “organic wholesome natural deodorant made with essential oils, and packaged in eco-friendly packaging.”