IslandWood

10/07/2026

Join us Monday, October 12, as IslandWood gathers with community to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the City of Bainbridge Island, Washington.

We invite you to come together for an afternoon centered on culture, reflection, and connection.

Event Highlights:
• Screening and community discussion of Strawberry Fields Forever: Picker Cabin Stories
• Elders Blanketing Ceremony
• Drumming
• Community potluck (bring a dish or treat to share!)

💲Free Admission!
📅 When: Monday, October 12 | 3 – 6PM
📍 Where: Bainbridge Island Senior & Community Center

All are welcome. We hope to see you there!

10/05/2026

Congratulations to IslandWood board chair, Chas Malatesta on her well deserved recognition from YWCA Kitsap County! What a gift you are to this community, Chas!!!

🌟 Meet Our 2026 Honorees!

Today we are proud to celebrate Chasity Malatesta, recipient of the 2026 Linda K. Joyce Award.

Chasity is an educator, equity advocate, and community leader whose work focuses on creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Through advocacy, mentorship, education, and service, she continues to make a meaningful impact throughout Kitsap County.

We are honored to recognize Chasity and celebrate the leadership, compassion, and commitment she brings to our community.

💐 Join us October 9th for the 2026 Women of Achievement Gala, A Bold & Beautiful Evening of Impact.

🎟️ Tickets: https://square.link/u/5YkoDFpi

10/05/2026

When children are given the opportunity to spend meaningful time outdoors, away from distractions and immersed in shared experiences, they often begin to notice things they might otherwise miss, both in nature and in one another.

Last month, St. Thomas School brought their fifth graders to IslandWood for the School Overnight Program. When they got back to school, students reflected on their experience in a variety of ways, including one who wrote this poem that we were a bit gobsmacked by, and thought you might be too 💚

10/01/2026

Voted 2026 Best of Bainbridge in Three Categories! 🙌

💒 🌲Best Wedding & Event Venue & Best Conference Spaces... two years in a row!
♻️ Best Earth Friendly Business/Organization

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted and trusted IslandWood with their milestone celebrations. Beyond offering 250 acres of quiet forest and gathering spaces for weddings, retreats, and reunions, every event hosted here does something bigger: it directly supports scholarships for youth across our region to experience the magic of outdoor learning. ✨

Thinking of hosting your next gathering in the woods? Click IslandWood.org/PrivateEvents to explore our spaces and start planning.

09/29/2026

Megan Karch is IslandWood's CEO. She's also a parent, an outdoor enthusiast, and a pretty serious Broadway musical fan.

To celebrate her birthday month, we asked her eight quick questions about everything from favorite school subjects to what she hopes students take away from their time with IslandWood.

We hope you enjoy getting to know her a little better!

09/28/2026

Autumn in the Pacific Northwest may not look like New England, but our mossy, evergreen woods have plenty of seasonal secrets of their own. 🍂🌲

Head out on the trails with us this Sunday, October 4, on our Bainbridge Island campus and discover a few!

What’s actually happening inside a bigleaf maple as summer green gives way to gold? Why do some species blaze with color while others fade straight to brown? How does a tree know when it’s time to drop its leaves? And how do animals prep for winter?

🎟️ Get Tickets >> https://bit.ly/4iUjIMU

09/25/2026

Nature’s Best Engineers vs. IslandWood Facilities...AGAIN! 🦫🪵🍂

Every fall, our Facilities crew suits up in waders to clear the Floating Classroom of sticks, mud, and logs our resident beavers pack around Mac's Pond overflow pipe.

Why? That big metal pipe hums with running water like a giant speaker, and to a beaver, the sound of running water means one thing: LEAK. MUST FIX.

We deconstruct, they rebuild. It’s a years-long rivalry where nobody gets hurt—except maybe the beavers' egos, and whichever crew member accidentally drinks pond water.

Happy Friday from the dam good team keeping our pond running! 🌲💧

Image description: IslandWood facilities team—from front to back and left to right: David (IslandWood volunteer 💚), Mark, Jeff and Tannar are clearing out sticks, branches, and debris from underneath and around the a wooden deck leading to the Floating Classroom (seen in the background).

09/23/2026

Look at these gorgeous, perfectly ripe apples! 🍎🍃

One of our absolute favorite traditions is letting our students pick an apple and take that first, delicious bite right off the tree. 😋

For many, it's their very first time doing this, and hearing them declare it "the best thing ever" never gets old! (We agree, by the way!)

Here's to the end of summer bounty and the start of a wonderful fall!

09/21/2026

Join us for the 11th Annual Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup this Sat, Sep 26th. 🌊

✨ Volunteers of all ages are welcome.
✨ Track your finds with the CleanSwell app.
✨ Share your unusual discoveries using !

Let's make our 11th year the biggest yet, with nearly 40 locations to choose from, there's a spot near you waiting for your help!

Sign up to claim your favorite beach today >> https://bit.ly/47a8SuP

Sustainable Bainbridge EcoAdapt Ocean Conservancy Bainbridge Island Land Trust Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation City of Bainbridge Island, Washington Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District Bainbridge Disposal

Calling all who love our shorelines and want to help make them healthier for people and wildlife. Saturday, September 26, 2026, is the 11th annual Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup. The link to sign up is below! Sign Up Here! Puget Soundkeeper is the regional coordinator for the

09/18/2026

Children’s books hold big wisdom for learners of every age. 📖✨

This month, Dr. Dé, Director of our Graduate Program, has curated a collection of children’s books by Indigenous authors and illustrators. These stories offer readers of all ages fresh ways of thinking about our more-than-human relatives, natural kinds, and the living world around us.

🔗📗Tap to explore the full book list >> https://bit.ly/4rguIGi

Image description: Dr. Dé holding up a book titled "You Are A Story" against a backdrop of shelves of books.