Polly Dyer – Seattle • Entered by Penelope Peterson on August 31, 2023
Polly Dyer Seattle Broadband Campout
July 17, 2023 – July 19, 2023
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | 9.25 |
| Post Admin hours | |
| Activity Hours | 20 |
| Participants | 23 |
| Total Hours | 469.25 |
Key Issue: Water-related Conservation
Activity Type: Education & Outreach (tabling, films & lectures, regional B-walks/works)
Key Partners: Brian Stewart from Conservation Northwest
Short Description of Activity
On July 17th through 19th we held a campout for our Broadband at Camano Island State Park, 2269 S. Lowell Point Road, Camano Island, WA.
We reserved five cabins and five campsites for tents, car campers, and Barbara Phalen’s RV. We had no official hikes planned, but we had opportunities to explore the park and walk on the nearby beach. The park has a loop trail of 3 miles, and 6,700 ft. of shoreline and beach to explore. On the morning of the 18th, Janka Hobbs led a group of us on a hike on the three-mile loop trail that included Janka stopping along the way and identifying native plants for us. In the afternoon, Raelene Gold, led a smaller group on a walk on the one-mile annotated “nature trail” in the park.
On Tuesday at noon, we gathered in our camp circle to hear a speaker, Brian Stewart from Conservation Northwest on the proposed Chehalis River Dam. Brian leads the LAND Alliance which involves a large-scale plan to protect the Chehalis Basin from flooding by using a system of levees and other non-dam alternatives. Brian drove three hours each way just to speak with us. The Great Old Broads are members of the LAND Alliance. In late afternoon, Genia led us in a post-card writing activity on various advocacy issues.
On Wednesday morning, we met together to say goodbye, and to share a “rose” and a “bud” from our experiences at the campout. A “rose” is a happy memory of the experience, and a “bud” is something that just began at the campout, and you are looking forward to developing in the future..
Reflection/Evaluation
A major goal of the campout was to increase camaraderie among our Broads and to have fun. We met and exceeded this goal. Many in our Broadband didn’t know other Broads in our group before the campout, and this experience encouraged new friendships among the 23 Broads who attended. A second goal was to learn about the non-dam alternative to prevent flooding in the Chehalis Basin and to find out about the status of that alternative. The speaker on this issue, Brian Stewart, was highly engaging and interactive with our Broads and enthusiastically answered all their questions. We learned that the Alliance is hoping that Governor Inslee will intervene on the Chehalis Basin issue before he leaves office in November. Until then, the Chehalis BasinBoard, to whom the Alliance submitted their proposal in April, is marking time and not making any decisions.
Photos/Uploads
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Photo Captions
1. Polly Dyer Seattle Broads celebrate being Great Old Broads at their campout at Camano Island State Park on July 17 through 19, 2023.
2. Polly Dyer Seattle Broadband’s native plant expert, Janka Hobbs, leading a group on a three-mile native plant identification hike in Camano Island State Park, July 18, 2023.
3. Polly Dyer Seattle Broads celebrate the sunset and have fun at the beach on Camano Island State Park, July 17, 2023.
4. Genia Moncada, Advocacy chair of the Polly Dyer Seattle Broadband, introduces Brian Stewart of Conservation Northwest, to speak to the Broads about the non-dam alternative, the LAND Alliance, to prevent flooding in the Chehalis Basin.