2017 Award Winners Announced
We are proud to recognize 2017 Phyllis Young Award Winners Glenn & Nancy Haber and 2017 Volunteers of the Year Eagle Harbor Congregational Church Volunteer Stewards.
Winners were announced at the 2018 Annual Meeting with over 150 members in attendance!
Phyllis Young Award – Glenn and Nancy Haber
Glenn and Nancy Haber received this year’s Phyllis Young Award in recognition of actions that exemplify the mission of the Land Trust to preserve and steward the diverse natural environment of the Island.
Glenn and Nancy and their family have enjoyed and supported outdoor experiences on Bainbridge Island for more than 30 years. Just this past fall, the Haber’s Fletcher Bay Foundation which is dedicated to charitable grant making on Bainbridge Island and beyond, created the Moritani Preserve, an 8.5 acre mixture of fields and woodland in the heart of Winslow. After purchase of the property and subsequent clean-up, and restoration, the Habers donated the land to the Park District as passive public park and natural open space.
“Glenn and Nancy have been fixtures in the preservation and stewardship of Bainbridge Island’s natural places for decades,” said Jane Stone, Executive Director of the Bainbridge Island Land Trust. “Their commitment and dedication not only to the land itself, but to the enjoyment of it by all of us who live here – humans and non-humans alike – will be felt for generations to come. Their generosity of spirit cannot be measured, but will forever be appreciated and looked to as a model of positive local impact and inclusion for all in the great outdoors.”
Volunteer of the Year – Eagle Harbor Congregational Church
The Bainbridge Island Land Trust is proud to recognize members of the Eagle Harbor Congregational Church as our 2017 Volunteers of the Year for their hard work and dedication to stewarding our Agate Passage Preserve.
The church took their congregation’s mission priority “Living Water” very literally as they became the de facto water brigade caring for thousands of new native plants that were planted on the property last spring as part of restoration efforts..
Because of the extremely dry conditions this summer, supplemental watering was necessary to keep the plants alive. On Monday and Thursday evenings from May through August, several congregants jaunted up to the north end of the island to make sure the over 3,000 newly installed plants survived the hot summer In total, 12 volunteers from the church spent well over 500 hours watering and caring for the delicate young plants. The effort was led by Greg Geehan, Land Trust board member and volunteer Lead Steward for the Preserve. Special thanks also to our neighbors Christa and Larry Little, Paula Johnson and the Fowler-Wold family who let us use some of their well water to supplement the water we brought in by truck.
Members of the church will continue as long time stewards and help with watering, removal of invasive plants, and general care of the land. As we move toward summer of 2018, the Agate Passage Preserve now has an established community of native vegetation – along with a new staircase down to the water – and will be ready for its first real season of visitors. For their invaluable assistance making this new property what it is, we wholeheartedly thank all members of the Eagle Harbor Congregational Church.