Meet by the boat launch in the parking lot.  Join us for a native plant walk at Woodard Bay, led by Mariana Harvey, of the Yakama nation.  Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area was designated by the legislature in 1987, one of the first in the state.  A wildlife sanctuary that is just minutes from downtown Olympia, this 922-acre site protects habitat ranging from marine shoreline and wetlands to mature second growth forest. The site has a rich and varied human history that includes Native Americans, early settlers to southern Puget Sound and the logging and shellfish industries.   Woodard Bay provides habitat for shorebirds and songbirds, harbor seals, river otters, bald eagles, a large maternity colony of bats, and one of the most significant heron rookeries in the state. Three hiking trails are within the natural area: a paved road used as trail, a forested loop-trail, and another that is barrier-free, overlooking Woodard Bay. Trails may be closed seasonally to protect nesting herons and eagles.

Join the Facebook Event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1481688939294277/ 6pm at the Mukai Farm and Garden on Vashon. Arrive at six for a introduction the speaker and space. Presentation starts at 7pm. On Friday, October 13, from 7 – 9 p.m. we invite you to join us for an evening with Joe Brewer, author of Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth. Joe is a complexity researcher with a unique academic background in atmospheric sciences, physics, philosophy, and cognitive linguistics. In 2020, he launched an initiative to regenerate 500,000 hectares of land in Barichara, Colombia, and in 2023, he founded the Design School for Regenerating Earth. A long-time resident of Seattle, Joe is returning from Colombia with a wealth of inspiration and strategies and is eager to share what he has learned about the potential to interweave bioregional communities for a thriving world. The Vashon Island hosts for this event have formed a small bioregional steward circle, and we are facilitating the round-table discussion as part of the Regenerate Cascadia Activation Tour to seed ongoing inspiration. We intend this to be a beginning – an opening to deepening conversations that will unfold through future gatherings, as well as other events throughout the bioregion. The Mukai Family on Vashon Island Mukai, in the center of Vashon Island, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Home: Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the restored Mukai house offers a glimpse into the life of the Mukai family from 1926 to 1942. The house is charming, full of educational signage, available for parties and events, and is open to the public repeatedly throughout the year. Check the events page. The Japanese Garden: Designed and installed during the 1930’s by Kuni Mukai, a Japanese immigrant, her “hill garden” features extensive rockwork, plantings and a surrounding pond. In the fall of 2018, the 90-year-old pond was restored. Landscaping in the North Garden, hill plantings and lawn restoration completed in June, 2019. The Fruit Barreling Plant: After purchasing the 60 acres in 1926, the family immediately constructed the barreling plant — the facility used to process and pack their strawberry harvest as well as that of other berry farmers. With this entrepreneurial process, the family shipped berries all across the United States. Restoration of the barreling plant is underway. With over 6000 sf, the building will include a public gathering space as well as tenants that complement the original use of the site. Paths and Trails: Mukai is adjacent to Island Center Forest with paths and Mukai Pond. Visit Mukai: Come stroll, walk, picnic, tour, attend an event or party. Learn about Vashon’s Japanese American and agricultural heritage at this important island treasure.

Join us at the Vashon Grange on October 14, from 2 to 6 p.m. We invite you to a community round-table dialogue & discussion to explore whatever got stirred up from the Friday evening presentation. This gives us a space to weave together who we are as an island community and what we are becoming, how our community watershed is interconnected within a larger bioregion, and how our bioregion is interconnected with a resilient planet that can be healed. Our purpose is to create a space to catalyze more connections and shared learning and to strengthen the ongoing regenerative work so many of us are doing that holds our community together. The Vashon Island hosts for this event have formed a small bioregional steward circle, and we are facilitating the round-table discussion as part of the Regenerate Cascadia Activation Tour to seed ongoing inspiration. We intend this to be a beginning – an opening to deepening conversations that will unfold through future gatherings and other events throughout the bioregion.

Join us at Olio Cafe. On October 14, from 7 to 9pm, we invite you to join us for drinks and dinner at a nearby cafe. We want space & discussion to explore whatever got stirred up from the Friday evening presentation and the Saturday discussions. This gives us a space to weave together who we are as an island community and what we are becoming, how our community watershed is interconnected within a larger bioregion, and how our bioregion is interconnected with a resilient planet that can be healed. Our purpose is to create a space to catalyze more connections and shared learning, and to strengthen the ongoing regenerative work so many of us are doing that holds our community together. The Vashon Island hosts for this event have formed a small bioregional steward circle, and we are facilitating the round-table discussion as part of the Regenerate Cascadia Activation Tour to seed ongoing inspiration. We intend this to be a beginning – an opening to deepening conversations that will unfold through future gatherings, as well as other events throughout the bioregion.

Join us for community networking with Regenerate Cascadia on Sunday morning. Join Joe Brewer, the Design School for Regenerating Earth and the Cascadia Department of Bioregion for our Seattle leg of the Cascadia Activation Tour and Summit – happening October 1-30 in 14 cities around the Salish Sea, and online from Nov 3-12.    What will it take to Regenerate the Cascadia bioregion? In Seattle, we will have two events, happening Sunday, October 15th. Join us for a breakfast and strategy session early in the day at Om Culture, then a larger presentation and discussion Sunday evening at Woodlawn Hall near Greenlake. $10-50 suggested donation. No one turned away for lack of funds.   You can find them on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1398444637373356/ https://www.facebook.com/events/909363187468448/   Learn more at: https://regeneratecascadia.org  Joe is a complexity researcher with a unique academic background in atmospheric sciences, physics, philosophy, and cognitive linguistics. In 2020, he launched an initiative to regenerate 500,000 hectares of land in Barichara, Colombia, and in 2023, he founded the Design School for Regenerating Earth. A long-time resident of Seattle, Joe is returning from Colombia with a wealth of inspiration and strategies and is eager to share what he has learned about the potential to interweave bioregional communities for a thriving world.