Service on Chuckanut Island: 4-23-16

Wow, what a treat of an outing! This very special service project brought us to Chuckanut Island, a five-acre Island completely long-ago used by the Mamosee people, then privately owned, and now protected by The Nature Conservancy. Our day began alongside Nature Conservancy volunteers and staff, as we learned about the history of this special place from Aimee and husband Peter. They are the caretakers of the Island on behalf of the Conservancy, and explained why and how this land came to be protected. We talked about the human history of the island – from Mamosee shellfish harvesting grounds (there are many middens on the island) to private ownership, and finally to the island's protection by the Nature Conservancy. The girls were especially impressed with the find some years ago of two Native American skulls found on one beach, under the boulders (one is at the Smithsonian!). We learned that unlike city parks, Chuckanut Island has been set aside for itself – that is, it belongs to the animals and plant-life that grow on it, and s not maintained for human use.

Next, we walked to a nearby dock for Captain Dean to ferry us to the Island, hair and salt spray flying as we arrived in just a few minutes. We traveled to the island in two different groups, and as the boat receded in the distance after the second drop off, girls immediately set out exploring. They clambered over sandstone, marveled at tiny starfish, crumbled sand in hand, fed barnacles and hermit crabs to predatory anemones, and stared into tide pools. 

After a snack break, it was time to begin our mission. Our job was to remove a human-introduced plant from the Island: English ivy. We did so by using our Owl Eyes on overdrive, because the Ivy is hidden along the path and deep in the forest. Aimee led us through the overgrown path (not clipped back for ease of human traffic, because it’s not for us!), pointing out just how sneaky and subtle the ivy plants are. We began training our eyes for the little plants, and made our way across the island through salal and fir trees to a patch especially overgrown with ivy.

The girls worked together to spot, pull and bag the ivy, using teamwork to carry garbage bags of vines, pull especially pernicious plants down from trees, and most importantly, to keep morale high with songs and stories. Besides ivy, we found some long-hidden bottles and cans, and, sadly, two different bird skeletons who had clearly died after being caught in traps. That was upsetting! 

After a couple hours of ivy hunting, we emerged on the sunny west facing beach of the island, and the rest of our day was dedicated to exploring. Highlights include:

* Spending time apart from clock time, where time disappears, and all that remains is the moment we're in. 

* Eating lunch in front of a very old midden 

* An impromptu beach wedding (see joyous and funny photos in slide show)

* Observation of a nesting Canada goose

* Observing the radically different southwest side of the island, covered in a beautiful madrona forest. Two entirely different ecosystems on such a small bit of land!  

* Exploring the boulder-made "cave" on the southwest beach

* Silent solo time in Peaceful Place

* Heartfelt and honest check ins from each participant

And then, it was time to head back to the northeast beach and here came Dean! We clambered back on the boat, thanking Chuckanut Island for the many gifts we'd discovered.

Our day ended with our words of the day, and an impromptu water fight!

You may check out a slideshow from our day here: https://goo.gl/photos/wQFadqn5NGbuXUBa7

Our words of the day? Die, Ivy, Explore

GEC Mottos especially applied today: 

* Safety First

* Be Prepared

* You See It, You Own It

* All Things Are Connected

* Leave No Trace

* It's About the Journey, Not the Destination

* Walk Your Talk

* Challenge By Choice

* Expect the Unexxpected

* We're All Teachers

* Be Here Now